


Your eyes they tie me down so hard

by puppybusby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Allison and Stiles are Twins, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jackson left before fic takes place, Mentioned Kate Argent, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Torture, Werewolf Lydia, also Chris isn't very nice okay, and she's evil, like it takes place after season 1 but totally ignores most of everything??, like really AU and i have no idea how to really tag it, like she comes up a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-26 02:44:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 137,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1671755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppybusby/pseuds/puppybusby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Allison” Lydia greeted, though she kept her back to her “Here to kill me?”<br/>“What? No- of...Of course not” Allison didn't bother hiding the hurt in her voice. She stopped a few feet from Lydia<br/>“Why not? I'm a monster” Lydia replied, Allison knows she means for it to be cutting, to make a point, but it just comes out sounding sad and it leaves Lydia looking vulnerable, even with her back turned.<br/>Allison smiles softly and tilts her head slightly “I don't think you're a monster”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just hold on to what we know is true

**Author's Note:**

> Because Twin!Stallison gives me feels and there also needs to be more werewolf!Lydia and Lydia maybe protecting Allison for a change  
> Fic title taken from "Not with Haste" and chapter title from "Feel the tide (turning)" both by Mumford and Sons

“THIS IS BULLSHIT” Allison yelled as she paced the living room  
“Don't swear at me Allison” Chris said, folding his arms and Allison had to fight the urge to laugh  
“Are you serious?!” Allison span around, “How about instead of telling me not to swear you explain why the fuck you want us to kill our best friend you-” Stiles reached out and grabbed her wrist, freezing her and effectively cutting her off  
“It's bullshit dad” Stiles said, looking up to him from his seat “How can you expect us to agree with this?!”  
“It's not up for discussion” Chris replied, his voice cold  
“We're not going to be hunters” Allison glared “Fuck. That.” Stiles stood up so they were shoulder to shoulder “You're not touching them”  
“They're werewolves Allison, we hunt those who hunt us”  
“They haven't touched anybody!” Stiles yelled  
“Scott and Lydia are innocent, they didn't ask for this”  
“Anybody is capable of killing, Allison”  
“Yeah. I'm beginning to see that” Allison replied, Stiles couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine at her icy comment  
“Dad, you've known Scott all your life, you know he wouldn't hurt a fly” Stiles pleaded, he caught Allison glance at him “And Lydia, neither of them were given a choice, that monster did it against their will! You can't kill them”  
“It's our job as hunters-”  
“No” Allison snapped “You're a hunter, we aren't. We're not going to be hunters”  
“It's tradition-”  
“Tradition ends now” Stiles folds his arms, honestly, if it wasn't for Allison by his side he doubts he would have the confidence to stand up to his dad like this “We're not going to let you kill them”  
Chris sighs and suddenly he looks older than he is “You're both grounded, you're not to contact them, go to your rooms” He turns on his heel and heads towards the garage. Stiles hears Allison let out a shaky breath before she storms out of the room and runs up the stairs, it takes Stiles a moment to collect himself and follow her. By the time he reaches her room she's already sliding her jacket on and moving towards the window  
“Allison, stop” he pleads.  
“I can't Stiles, I need to tell them”  
“You can't go anywhere right now, he'll know”  
Allison turns to face him and Stiles resists the urge to hug her, it wouldn't help right now anyway  
“Fuck him. We need to warn them”  
“They'll be fine” Stiles forces a smile “They know about the hunters, they're all going to stay inside, Scott, Lydia, Derek's little pack. They'll all be fine” He holds out a hand and waits while Allison battles with herself, eventually she sighs, her shoulders sagging in defeat as she pulls off her jacket and drops it onto the bed and crossing the room, taking his hand she allows him to guide her across the hall to his room  
“They're going to think we're hunters” Allison whispered once the door was closed  
“Then we're just going to have to convince them that we're on their side” Stiles shrugged  
“We can't let Dad hurt them Stiles” Allison sits on his bed and draws her knees up to her chin  
“We wont” Stiles pulls out a load of candy from his secret stash and moves to sit beside her on the bed, letting the candy rest in front of them “Scott's our best friend and Lydia... Well, she's Lydia” Stiles shrugs, casting a sidelong glance at Allison as he does so “Even if Erica and her posse don't believe us, they will”  
“He took our phones away Stiles, he's taken away our computers”  
“We have school Alli, we'll see them there.” Stiles wrapped a hand around her shoulders “We're going to get through this”

 

 

 

 

“Okay, deep breath ” Stiles whispered as they walked in the building, as if they wouldn't be heard if the wolves were lingering around, Allison wondered with a fleeting glance if he was talking to her or himself “Do you want to talk to Lydia? I can talk to Scott” It took a moment to realise why Stiles was telling her this, her mouth formed an “O” shape, he wasn't telling her, he was telling _them._ Stiles was giving them a heads up. Allison smiled and ruffled his hair  
“Okay, I’ll meet you for second period?” Allison asked  
“You know it” Stiles smiled, kissing her on the cheek and heading down the hall. Allison decided to take Stiles' advice and took several deep breaths and leant against the nearest wall, willing her thoughts to slow down. A moment to clear her head, she was tired, she was unprepared. Shit, she was a lot of things. Allison blew the air out from her nose and pushed away from the wall, a clear destination in mind.

  
  
Allison found Lydia In the library (it was a lucky guess, she wasn't going to lie)  
“Allison” Lydia greeted, though she kept her back to her “Here to kill me?”  
“What? No- of...Of course not” Allison didn't bother hiding the hurt in her voice. She stopped a few feet from Lydia  
“Why not? I'm a monster” Lydia replied, Allison knows she means for it to be cutting, to make a point, but it just comes out sounding sad and it leaves Lydia looking vulnerable, even with her back turned.  
Allison smiles softly and tilts her head slightly “I don't think you're a monster”  
That got Lydia's attention, she turned her back on the books and stared at Allison with a look that she couldn't even begin to decipher, as quick as it came, it was replaced with a glare, a few months ago Allison would have found it cute, well, it was still cute, but considerably less so now that she knew Lydia could literally rip her in half  
“Your family does” Allison nodded at her words “You're a hunter”  
“I come from a family of hunters, I’m not a hunter and neither is Stiles” Allison defended  
“But you did shoot Scott and Derek”  
“Moment of blindness” Allison shrugged “Kate is- was, very manipulative. Scott forgave me for that as well!” Allison points out “Look, Lydia” Allison takes a step closer, Lydia lets out a warning growl and flashes her gold eyes, Allison quickly takes two paces back and holds her hands up in surrender, shooting a quick glance around the library and wasn't surprised to see how quiet it was “Please, Lydia, I need you to trust me. Dad.. He and his hunter buddies, they want to kill you and Scott and Derek and his beta's”  
“And you and Stiles?” Lydia asked, all signs of her wolf gone “Do you want us dead?”  
“No!” Allison ran a hand through her hair “we want to help you guys, please... Just, think about it okay? That's all I’m asking. Please, Lydia” she doesn't think she imagines the way Lydia's expression softens towards the end but she forces a smile and leaves before Lydia can reply and hopes to god Stiles was having better luck than she was

  
“Hey there dude” Stiles ducked under the bleachers  
“Are you allowed to be talking to me?” Scott asked with a frown  
“Nope” Stiles dropped down beside him and flashed him a lopsided grin “But that's hardly going to stop me” he grinned  
“And Allison?”  
“She's talking to Lydia”  
“Is that wise?”  
“Like Lydia's going to kill her in the middle of school” Stiles shrugged “Look dude, me and Allison, we're not hunters okay? We're on your side, we aren't going to hurt you. I know Allison shot you but Kate... Kate fucked with her head man”  
“I know” Scott smiled earnestly “I already forgave her for that, you know that”  
“I do” Stiles beamed “Look, Dad and his pals? Want you all dead”  
Scott sighed and dropped his head to his knees  
“BUT” Stiles wrapped an arm around his shoulders “Me and Allison? We aren't going to let that happen, we're going to help you okay?”  
“How?” Scott asked in a small voice  
“I'm not sure” Stiles replied honestly “But we're going to work it out”  
Scott nodded slowly “Okay”  
“You trust us?” Stiles asked hopefully  
“Of course I do!” Scott smiled “Stiles, how long have the three of us been friends? I know you wouldn't lie to me”  
“Couldn't even If I wanted to” Stiles grinned “And I’m not referring to the awesome werewolf powers” He nudged Scott in the ribs. Scott laughed and got to his feet  
“Class is going to start soon”  
“Are Derek's wolves here?” Stiles asked, following Scott  
“No” Scott shook his head “It's a good thing too, I think they kind of hate you and Allison”  
“WHAT” Stiles exclaimed “Why!? It's not like we shot them! We haven't even touched them!” Stiles huffed “Not fair man. You better protect me from them! And Allison”  
“I think Lydia can protect Allison” Scott winked “And no, she can't hear me from this far away” he added, holding a finger up to silence Stiles  
Stiles frowned “Wait, why would Lydia want to protect Allis- OHHHHHH” Stiles a thoughtful sound “Really? Since when?”  
“I'm not sure, I’m not even 100% sure dude, she just got growly last time I spoke to her and mentioned Allison.... So she either hates Allison or she was jealous that I was talking about her”  
“Oh. Lovely, so the girl I’ve had a crush on since middle school either wants to kill my sister or sleep with her?”  
“You pick the worst crushes” Scott laughed “Like seriously” Scott looks thoughtful for a moment “Do you think Allison feels the same way?”  
“Maybe?” Stiles scratched his head “We kinda make a point not to go into explicit detail about our love lives, well, lack thereof”  
“Wise choice” Scott nodded  
“But I’ll ask her, but I can't see this as something Dad would approve of”  
“Why because she's a girl or because she's a wolf?”  
“Definitely the latter”

 

 

They reunite in economics, Allison lets out a sigh of relief when Scott smiles at her and she finds herself smiling back and Stiles squeezes her shoulder as he walks past  
"Thank you" Allison smiles. Scott nods and sits in the adjacent seat  
"What did Lydia say?" Stiles whispers  
"You know she can probably hear you" Scott frowned  
"Good" Stiles smirked  
"She growled at me" Allison sighed  
"Oh... That's not good"

"I told her to think about it"  
"I'll talk to her" Scott smiled earnestly

  
"Do you trust them?" Lydia asked, slamming her locker shut  
"They're my best friends Lydia"  
"Is that enough?"  
"Yes" Scott replied without hesitation "Do you really think Allison would hurt you?" he asks quietly, testing the waters  
"She shot you" Lydia pointed out  
"Irrelevant" Scott replied, smiling softly "Are you scared of her hurting you?" Scott paused "Or are you scared you'll hurt her?" he heard Lydia's heartbeat spike and nodded "I thought so" Scott nodded  
"You know McCall, I think I underestimated you" Lydia smirked  
"Yeah, you seem to be doing that a lot lately" Scott folded his arms “Look, you and Allison were friends before all of this, not for as long as I’ve been friends with them, granted, but that friendship you had was real”  
“She didn't tell me you were a werewolf”  
“Would you have believed her if she had?” Lydia hesitated for a moment and Scott was struck with a sudden moment of clarity “Do you blame her for Peter biting you?”  
“No!” Lydia's palm slammed into the locker harder than necessary and pulls away, leaving a clear dent in it's wake “No” She repeated quieter this time “It... Crossed my mind, that maybe if I had of known, I wouldn't have gone out and I wouldn't have been bitten-”  
“You know the reason Allison and Stiles were even at that dance was to make sure you stayed safe while me and Derek tried to find him right?” Scott asked and Lydia honestly looked shocked.  
Before Peter, the only people Scott could ever read was Stiles and Allison, Stiles more so. They were twins, sure, but Stiles wore his heart on his sleeve, his face showing the world what he was feeling before he himself knew whereas Allison was more laid back, calmer. Not secretive, not by a long shot, sometimes she could just be as hot headed and even more impulsive than Stiles. It just took more focus to read her feelings in the quieter moments. Before Peter, Scott couldn't read anybody but them and Lydia was no exception, in the few times they ever interacted (albeit forcefully) he couldn't tell so much as whether the girl in front of him was happy or sad, her walls were built so high he was sure nobody would ever be able to penetrate them. But after the bite, after everything had changed, reading people had become so much easier, a spike in the heartbeat was a excellent tell, a way for Scott to gauge feelings. In the rare times Lydia would allow Allison to drag her over to where he and Stiles would sit he would fixate on it, not intentionally, but it was just so _close_ and it would beat so fast over the smallest of details. At the time he pushed it back to social pressure, queen bee eating lunch with the unpopular twins and their equally unpopular friend (despite her attempts at breaking Allison out of that clique)  
In the short space of time between Lydia receiving the bite and now, Scott had noticed the change in her, the walls felt lower, she spent more time with them, seemingly less bothered about high school hierarchy (becoming part of the supernatural world seemed to have that kind of effect on people) and things were peaceful enough for Scott to help her through her first moon. Chris and his hunter buddies had backed off and for a while Scott felt hopeful that life could return to semi-normality  
And then Derek started his little recruitment scheme and shit hit the fan, the hunters were back and now they wanted blood, and apparently they wanted his best friends to help.  
Scott let out a sigh and realised with sudden awareness that he and Lydia had been stood together in complete silence while the rest of the student body cleared out and went home  
“What were you thinking about?” Lydia asked quietly  
“Life before this”  
Lydia nodded slowly “Yeah, me too” She sighed and straightened up “Fine, okay. If you trust them, that's enough for me”  
“Good” Scott smiled “We should see if they're still here”  
“They aren't” Lydia frowned  
“How do you know?”  
Lydia seemed conflicted for a moment so Scott smiled reassuringly at her “Allison”  
“You fixate on her heartbeat?”  
“More now than ever” Lydia sighed, sounding almost annoyed by herself at the honesty of the statement “Will they be safe?”  
“As long as they don't do anything stupid” Scott shrugged  
“Is that likely? Would they have gone home?”  
“Well, they're grounded, so.... Most likely not”  
“Where would they have gone?” Lydia asked  
“Well, they're trying to prove that they aren't hunters so....” Scott's eyes widened and Lydia stared at him expectantly “Oh fuck, they wouldn't”  
“Wouldn't what?”  
“You up for a run?”  
“What?” Lydia looked down at her shoes and back up to Scott “No!”  
“Tough, Stiles and Allison are probably going to need us” Scott grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hall, ignoring the low growl  
  


"This is crazy Stiles" Allison whined as they pulled up "We should have brought Scott"  
"What would Scott do?"  
"Offer some protection from the distinctly wolfy teenagers in the building that our aunt set on fire which killed a load of people?" Allison suggested sarcastically "I'm just saying, Lydia didn't take my appearance very happily and she went all wolfy and that was in school _and_ we're friends” Allison exclaimed “ _Were_ friends" Allison corrected stared at the building, honestly she didn't know where she and Lydia stood now. A part of her was too scared to find out  
"Well, they haven't turned up and started growling at us from the door so maybe they aren't home?" Stiles suggested, his fingers drumming out a beat on his steering wheel "We should check it out, if we aren't home soon Dad's going to get suspicious" he let himself out of the Jeep and Allison took a deep breath before following suit, as soon as their doors slammed Derek appeared out of the house followed closely by Isaac, Boyd and Erica  
"What are you doing here" Derek growled through his teeth, his eyes flashing red, behind him Isaac and Erica were mimicking him, Stiles' hand reached out and gripped Allison's hand  
"We're not here to hurt you" Allison replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking  
"Oh spare me" Derek hissed "Leave"  
"Jesus Christ sour wolf!" Stiles took a step forward but flailed back at the answering growls "We're not going to hurt you! Jesus Christ, we're unarmed, we just want to talk"  
"Then talk" Isaac spoke up, him and Erica moving forward, Boyd sighed, clearly reluctant to join in  
"The hunters are back, they're going to try and kill you all"Allison said  
"And you're just here to what? Warn us?, try and run us from town?" Erica laughed. Allison let out an annoyed huff and yanked her hand from Stiles' grip and began walking across the distance towards Derek  
"We're trying to fucking help you, maybe if you would shut the fuck up for five minutes and listened you'd know that we're trying to help-"  
Erica and Isaac roared and set off towards her, Allison froze on the spot immediately, Derek managed to grab Erica and pull her back.  
Allison stumbled back slightly at seeing a half shifted Isaac coming towards her with teeth and claws bared, she sees him raise a hand ready to swipe and Allison stays frozen to the spot, cursing her own stupidity, she sees a flash of red and a force smack into her chest sending her back a few paces. Allison wrenches her eyes open and sees Lydia slashing her claws across Isaac's chest and throw him back several feet, letting out a warning roar.  
"Allison!" Stiles grabs her arm, pulling the hand that she was holding over her chest "Are you okay?" his eyes are frenzied and giving her body a quick inventory check. Allison nodded, trying to force the air into her lungs  
"Keep your betas on a tighter leash Hale" Lydia growled, Scott was by her side now and Allison wondered if they had followed them (of course they had)  
"I could say the same about your hunters" Derek growled  
"They aren't hunters" Scott replied, both of them were stood side by side, turned slightly so they could keep an eye on Stiles and Allison "If you took a minute to listen you'd know that"  
"I think we're done here" Lydia relaxed her posture immediately, slipping on a face that screamed indifference and retracted her claws, she turns and loops one of her arms with Allison's and leads them towards the Jeep "Come find us when you're ready to have a mature conversation" she calls back over her shoulder

  
The drive is silent until Lydia forces Stiles to pull over  
"Your dad is going to kill you both if you don't get back soon" Scott warns them  
"I know" Stiles bounces on his toes and glances at his watch "I think we have ten minutes at most" he flashes a worried glance at Allison who nods in agreement  
"You idiot" Lydia hisses, pinning Allison with a glare "What the fuck were you thinking?"  
"I wasn't" Allison sighed, running a hand across her chest and wincing, she was pretty sure that there would be a pretty nasty bruise there in a few hours  
"Don't ever do that again" Lydia growled  
"I'm sorry" Allison replied, shrinking away from the glare  
"We all need to meet to talk properly" Scott interrupted  
"Well school is obviously the best place” Stiles replied  
"I tried to call you" Lydia says to Allison  
"Dad has our phones" Stiles sighed  
"Okay" Scott nodded "So that's going to be a problem"  
“We'll deal with it tomorrow” Lydia tells them "You two need to get home before he gets suspicious" she gestures to the Jeep "We'll see you both at school okay?"  
"Okay" Allison nodded "Tomorrow"  
"Tomorrow" Stiles echoed

  
"Are you okay?" Stiles asked, stepping past Allison and into her room "You've been quiet all evening"  
"Chest is a bit sore" Allison replied, pulling her shirt down slightly to reveal a large bruise covering the expanse of her chest, Stiles noted that the bruise has a distinct hand shape to it  
"Oh fuck, was that Lydia?" Stiles reached forward to poke it but Allison hissed and swatted his hand away and dropped down onto her bed  
"Yeah" Allison stretched out and settled against the pillows "But it's better than being flayed open by Isaac"  
"I'm still pissed at you for that" Stiles sits on the edge of her bed  
"I know" Allison grins at him "So what do we do?"  
Stiles scrunches his face up in thought for a moment "We need to find out where his hunter buddies are for a start"  
"Safe to assume that motel down town"  
Stiles hums in agreement "We need to know their movements"  
"Well..." Allison clicks her tongue "There has to be something in his office right? He's like the leader of their group isn't he?"  
"You want to break into his office?" Stiles' jaw dropped  
"Do you have a better idea?" Allison sat up and leant against her headboard  
"I was going to suggest eavesdropping?"  
"Oh." Allison nods "Yeah that works too"  
They pad down the stairs as quietly as possible, checking every room as they go along for their dad, eventually Allison heads to the garage, letting out a frustrated groan  
"Oh" Stiles appears beside her "Hopefully they all have the sense to stay inside?" Allison walks past him muttering various insults under her breath "Where are you going?"  
"We're alone, I’m getting into his office"  
"How? We probably need a key!" Stiles exclaims as he follows her  
"Not quite" Allison pulls two pins from her hair "Remember the summer a couple of years back?" she crouches beside the door and bends them and slides them both into the lock and sets to work  
"When you were really into-- oh... Lock picking, of course" Allison hums and smiles up at him “How long does this take?” Stiles asks  
“Well, it'd be faster if I had some actual lock picks instead of hairpins” Allison lets out a triumphant sound when the lock clicks and she pushes the door open  
"And you said it was weird" She stands up and moves into the room  
"Well it is! A normal hobby would be like... Guitar or soccer, but apparently werewolves are a thing so weird seems to be pretty default for us now"  
"We have to leave everything as we found it Stiles okay?"  
"Okay"  
They stare at each other for several moments  
"You want me to go outside so there isn't a chance I knock anything over don't you?" Stiles sighed  
"Yeah"  
"Yep" Stiles nodded "I'll go keep watch"  
"Love you Stiles!" Allison called to the retreating figure, she began moving carefully through the room, finding most of it to be legitimate business stuff relating to his company, she was about to give up when she found a book that looked older than anything she had ever seen before, she thumbed through the pages wishing she had a camera or her phone or anything so she could take pictures  
"ALLISON" Stiles appeared in the doorway "Dad's pulling up"  
Allison placed the book where she got it from "Go make coffee"  
"HOW WILL THAT HELP"  
"Just do it!" Allison shoved him towards the hall and closed the door behind her, crouching down to lock it and placed the pins back in her pocket  
She came to a sliding halt beside Stiles just as their dad walked in  
"What are you both doing up?"  
"Studying" Allison smiled, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt "Big test tomorrow" she added, reaching up to grab two mugs (Dad could get his own coffee thank you)  
"Oh really?" She watched Chris set his bag down, she tried not to think about the weapons that were no doubt inside "For what class?"  
"Chemistry"  
"Math"  
Stiles and Allison glance at each other "Chemistry and math" Allison amended "Both classes. At the same time.” She looks to Stiles who seems to pick up on the distress signals she's sending out  
“We're splitting the workload, team work and....yeah" Stiles nods, Chris studies them for a moment, before nodding once and walking past them towards his office, Stiles fills their mugs and they run upstairs as quickly as possible

 

"Did you find anything?" He asked once in the safety of her room  
"A book, bestiary"  
Stiles' head snapped towards her with such speed she feared for his neck  
"The bestiality?"  
"N-no" Allison frowned "Bestiary” She repeated, clearer this time “it was all in French"  
Stiles took a long drink from his mug and placed it next to her own "What did it say"  
"It was about how to kill werewolves and other scary shit that apparently exists"  
"Well shit"  
"Yeah"  
"We need to get a better look at that book"  
"We need a camera Stiles, and time"  
“We need to tell Scott and Lydia” Stiles adds and lets out a long sigh “I guess this is what we sign up for when our best friend gets bitten by a werewolf?”   
“And the fact that our entire family are apparently hunters” Allison added, shifting against the pillows  
“Do you think mom knew?” Stiles asked quietly  
Allison let out a breath, silently relieved. So he had thought about it too “I don't know” She replied  
“And all of those business trips dad took...They were all hunting trips weren't they?”  
“Probably” Allison nodded “I don't think I can think about it, not yet”  
“Right” Stiles nodded “Deal with this first. Focus on keeping Scott and Lydia safe”  
“Exactly” 

 


	2. I dreamt about you nearly every night this week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott frowned “What does that mean?”  
> “It means” Lydia snaps “It means that if anybody touches her I want to kill them because apparently I’ve decided that she belongs to me and nobody else is allowed to have her!” Lydia throws her hands up “Let alone kiss her” she adds with a growl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from "Do i wanna know" by The Arctic Monkeys

 

“I'm being serious Allison” Stiles glanced over his shoulder to where their dad's office was “Being here just seems... Wrong, it's like if the Joker and Batman lived together”  
“Are you comparing dad to the joker?”  
“It's just a metaphor” Stiles waved a hand  
“Good, cause I am _not_ going to be Robin in this analogy” Allison huffed and glanced over to the clock “Shit, we better go”  
“But I haven't finished my breakfast!” Stiles frowned, Allison glared at him until he sighed “Fine. But if my frail body collapses on us because of lack of nutrition, just know that I’m coming back to haunt you”  
“Duly noted” Allison slapped him on the back “Now get your ass into gear, I want to get out of here before he gives us a 'don't talk to the werewolves' speech” Allison rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag off of the seat and grabbed her keys

 

Stiles was acutely aware that there was something wrong with Allison, when questioned “tired” had been her response, but he knew that wasn't entirely the case. He knew she had had a nightmare, he had been there to wake her up and sit with her until they both eventually dropped off again, but they had both been prone to nightmares since their mother died, sure they had probably increased tenfold since Scott got bitten and even more after Lydia and then the Peter incident, but it was in the way that she moved, she just seemed.... sad. He balled up a piece of paper and lobbed it at her head when the teacher turned his back on them, Allison shot him an accusatory glare, Stiles mouthed _“Are you okay?”_  
Allison's features softened and she scanned the room, her eyes falling on where Isaac and Erica were huddled in one corner and Lydia in the seat in front, she nodded and Stiles tilted his head to one side and arched his eyebrows, his 'I know you're lying' face. Allison let out a quiet sigh and looked pleadingly at him  
 _“Later”  
_ It took Stiles a moment to register the words before nodding  
  


  
“Why are we eating outside again?” Stiles asked as he and Allison were practically dragged from the cafeteria by Scott. Scott just pursed his lips and nodded his head slightly, Stiles followed the action over to where he could see Erica, Boyd and Isaac, all watching them carefully “Is it like a rule of being in Derek's pack to always have to wear a leather jacket?” Stiles smirked when he saw Isaac bristle at the comment “It's kinda lame” beside him Allison pointedly cleared her throat  
“Excuse me?” Allison raised an eyebrow, Stiles glanced down to her own jacket  
“You know what I mean” he rolled his eyes “You've literally always worn them, they” Stiles gestures vaguely in the wolves direction “They look like they're trying to become an Arctic Monkeys cover band”  
Scott snorted and continued to lead them outside “Insulting them isn't really going to win them over you know?”  
“One of them tried to flay my sister thank you very much” Stiles held his shoulders up high, a gesture Allison would refer to as the 'protective big brother' (who's only like five minutes older but apparently that makes _all_ of the difference) stance “Just because we want to keep them from being dead doesn't mean I have to like them”  
“Okay, fair, but try to keep the insults to a minimum maybe?” Scott suggested, nodding a greeting to where Lydia was sat, book in one hand, the other drumming a steady beat into the table  
“What, are you not an Arctic monkeys fan?” Allison smirked, nudging Scott with her elbow  
“Honestly, I don't get the hype around them” Lydia muttered once they were close enough and lowered her book “How are you both?”  
“Don't get a ride with Allison then, she's had their newest album on repeat for the last two weeks” Stiles sighed as he and Allison sat opposite her  
“I think the real question is, how are you?” Allison nodded at where Lydia's hands were still drumming, her claws have slid out and are slowly gouging four steady holes into the wood of the table. Lydia stilled her hand immediately and clenched her fist  
“It's nothing” she replied  
“She's feeling territorial” Scott explained  
“What? Why?” Stiles frowned, looking between the two wolves  
“Because we don't have an alpha, and they do” Scott replied  
“So because Derek's the alpha, it means you're on his territory?” Stiles pulled the lid off of his water and downed half of it's contents in one  
“Apparently” Lydia looked at her now human nails and Allison doesn't miss the gouges in her palm that were quickly healing “it's fine, we have bigger issues to deal with do we not?”  
“Well, we broke into dad's office last night and Allison found a book on werewolves and some other scary shit”  
“Where is it?” Scott asked  
“Still in the office” Allison replied  
“We need to get our hands on a camera or something, we can take photos then” Stiles shoved a handful of fries in his face and Lydia pinned him with an unimpressed glare  
“How are things at home?” Scott asked  
“Tense” Allison replied  
“Understatement” Stiles scoffed “And it's boring”  
“Please” Allison shoved him “At least you still have your video games”  
“Allison. Do you know how boring call of duty is without the internet? VERY”  
“You have other games! I have books and homework”  
“That's not my fault, besides, If you're really that bothered you can come and play marvel vs capcom with me”  
“Guys” Scott laughed “Focus”  
“Sorry” Stiles and Allison apologised  
“Twin thing” Scott shrugged at Lydia  
“Lovely” Lydia arched an eyebrow “So, once you're home you have no contact with us?”  
“Nope, completely grounded. Only allowed out for school” Stiles replied  
“No phones, no internet” Allison added  
“How long for?” Scott asked  
“Indefinitely”  
“Until we've been taken care of then” Lydia folded her arms onto the table, Allison sighed and rested her chin in her hands “Well if you can't keep up updated this isn't going to go very well” Lydia reached down and grabbed her bag  
“Wait, where are you going?” Scott asked  
“I'm going to do something useful” Lydia replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder and walking away from the group. Allison let out a defeated sigh and dropped her head to the table, Stiles only just managing to pull her tray of food to safety in time. He patted her back sympathetically

  

As soon as Lydia had said the words she realised how pointed they had sounded but she hadn't turned back, she didn't need to to know she had hurt all of their feelings, a few weeks ago, she wouldn't have cared, would have been proud even. But everything was different now, she was different now  
Lydia made a point to apologise to Allison later, it wasn't her fault her father is a hunter and it definitely isn't her fault that she can't do much. Lydia sighed as she let herself into her car and settled into the drivers seat. Who'd have thought becoming a werewolf would have made her feel more human?  
It wasn't like Lydia was a stranger to emotions, but she had always prided herself on keeping them reigned in close, never showing her hand to those around her, not even Jackson had been able to read her. And then he decided to skip town two weeks before the winter formal of course, leaving Lydia to reluctantly take the olive branch Allison offered and became Stiles' date while Allison sat on the bleachers, watching the evening pass by.  
Lydia hadn't quite know why Allison had gone stag, she knew the brunette had received many offers, but they had all been let down gently (Lydia would have been more brutal, one of their many differences)  
Scott's words the day prior had changed everything.  
Allison and Stiles had known about werewolves from the start, it had taken considerably longer to learn about their dad, their aunt, their lineage.  
She knew what had happened that night, how Allison had been out for Peter's head and how Kate had used that to try and eliminate Derek and Scott in the process, how Allison had shot them both before watching Kate die at the hands of the alpha.  
How Stiles had turned up in time to throw one of her cocktails at Peter, how Allison had essentially been the one to take him down. Derek had just landed the killing blow and reaped the benefits.  
Lydia couldn't help but see it differently now that she knew that the only reason the twins weren't with Scott hunting down that monster was because they were so determined to keep Lydia safe.  
Lydia stopped at the traffic lights and frowned, an unsettled feeling low in her gut, she checked her mirror, under the guise of checking her make-up and looked at the car behind her, listened into the vehicle and found nothing to be concerned about. Paranoia, Lydia reasoned. The lights turned green and Lydia resumed her drive, letting herself slip back into her thoughts  
  
  
  
“I can take your pain you know” Scott offered as they walked to their next class  
“It's just a bruise Scott” Allison rolled her eyes “It's no big deal”  
“Are you sure?”  
“I'm sure”  
“Well, the offers there”  
“Thank you” Allison smiled sincerely before yawning into her fist  
“Late night?”  
“Nightmare” Allison corrected  
“About what?”  
Allison shrugged “The usual” she followed him to their seats. She wasn't lying, it hadn't been the first time she had dreamt of golden eyes and too sharp claws dragging against her skin, teeth pressing into her neck, but never piercing. Never piercing  
The difference was, this time. It actually scared her  
This time she knew with an acute awareness who the wolf was  
This time she saw her father stood above them, guns pointing at their hearts  
But Allison didn't know how to explain that dream to anybody, she was still trying to find the words for when Stiles inevitably cornered her about it, and the thing about Stiles, he didn't know when to stop pushing, he wouldn't stop until she caved and she would, she already knew that she would tell him about it- it was the least she could do after almost punching him in the face when he woke her up in the middle of the night. But then she would have to talk to him about after the dream, how, long after he had fallen back to sleep she had stayed lying next to him, letting her thoughts drift over the last couple of months until she began to fixate on the winter formal until only one thought ran through her mind  
Did Lydia blame her for Peter?  
Allison sighed and Scott met her gaze with a reassuring smile, Allison felt herself brighten up slightly at that, Scott was her best friend, he could probably read her as well as Stiles can and knows how to cheer her up  
“As soon as you're not grounded, we're all going out for pizza” he declares and Allison laughs quietly, careful not to disturb the teacher who's been talking for the best part of ten minutes- she makes a mental note to take a look at Scott's work later  
  
  


The worst part about being a werewolf? People smell.  
Well, the whole 'best friend and maybe definitely crushes father and his friends wants you dead' is probably the worst part. But people and their smells are definitely a close second.  
It was one of the first things Lydia insisted Scott teach her how to control, shopping through malls was hard enough before super smell, and now she could smell the cheap perfume samples far down the other side of the building, the coffee from the food court, the smells of every passer by?  
It would have driven her mad, so for the most part Lydia made a point of tuning out as much of it as possible. Only focusing on the key scents, the cheap cologne that Scott uses, the way Allison smells like lavenders and forest and Stiles still smells like engine oil from that time he tried to fix his Jeep on his own. As far as she's concerned, they're the only three that really matter, she knows that Derek and his beta's smell like smoke and ash from spending to much time in their little clubhouse.  
She knows that Allison and Stiles' father smells like gunpowder  
He smells of guns and traces of wolfs bane  
It's a terrifying combination, Lydia wonders if it scares Scott as much it scares her  
That's why, as she's on her way home after she's finished at the mall and she pulls over to get gas at some back alley station, she freezes  
Because either he's been bathing in the stuff, or he's not alone  
Lydia isn't surprised to find that it's the latter  
  
  
“Where do you think Lydia is?” Stiles asked as he finally breaks away from a glaring contest with Erica  
“Who knows” Allison sighs and rests her chin on her books, watching the minute hand of the clock as it continues to tick “As long as she stays in public they wont touch her” The bell finally rang signalling the end of the day, Allison tried not to leap to her feet and grab her bag “Think we can pull off stopping at the diner on the way back? I seriously need a milkshake” Stiles looks up to the clock  
“Only if you're okay with pushing speed limits”  
“You know I am” Allison grinned  
“Can we listen to something else though?”  
“My car my music, we listen to whatever you want when you drive” Allison flashed him a look over her shoulder  
“Fine” Stiles groaned  
  
  
  
“Mr Argent” Lydia greeted warmly “How are you?”  
“Lydia” Chris nodded “I'm sure you know why I’m here”  
Lydia looked behind him to where a hunter stood on either side of him and she could smell two more behind her  
“Well, it certainly isn't to kill me”  
“And how can you be so sure?” Chris asked “We're alone”  
“Well” Lydia folded her arms and leant against her car, making sure to look thoughtful “Alone or not, there are bound to have been witnesses who saw us all drive towards this very spot, and we're not alone, in fact there's a guy in that building” Lydia points to the gas station “He's in the stock room, so he can't see us. But if I scream, he'll hear it” she shrugged, she didn't flinch as one of the hunters smashed one of her wing mirrors with a crowbar, she didn't dare break eye contact with Chris  
“You're smart” Chris tells her  
“Thank you”  
“So I trust you'll do the smart thing and stay away from my kids”  
Lydia clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and grins “It doesn't help that we go to school together and share classes, besides, they seek me out. Not the other way around” Lydia pushes herself off of the car and moves away, making sure to keep a clear distance between all of the hunters  
“Do you think this is a game Lydia?”  
“I think you're going to try and kill me regardless of whether or not I hang around with your kids” Lydia replied, sighing as the hunters begin to unleash hell on her car- she doesn't even know how she's going to explain this to her mother “How do you think they would react if you were to kill me? If you were to kill Scott?”  
“They'd thank me in the long run”  
“Do you really believe that? Scott is their best friend”  
“And you? What are you to them?”  
Lydia opened her mouth to reply, but she came up short “I'm something” she replied eventually “I clearly mean enough to Allison and Stiles for them to defy you and break generations of tradition” Lydia winces as one of the hunters clambers up onto her car and smashes in the wind shield. She definitely has no idea how to explain this to her mother  
“Stay away from them” Chris points at her before backing away “I won't warn you again, Allison and Stiles....” He seems hesitant, Lydia focuses on his heartbeat, the way it rockets “They'll come around, they'll have to make their choice soon” And Lydia can see it in his eyes, he doesn't even believe his own words, not entirely.  
Lydia waits until they all drive away before going to her car and grabbing the bags from the back seat, destination in mind, Lydia sets off at a pace while she calls for a mechanic to go and pick her car up

  
  
“Should we be worried that Dad isn't home?” Stiles asked with a frown  
“Probably” Allison nodded “But there isn't really anything we can do about it so...” Allison shrugged and took another pull on her milkshake. Stiles followed her up the stairs and as she moved towards her room he caught her wrist  
“We need to talk”  
Allison hesitated before replying, “What, why?” she let him drag her to his room  
“You've seemed... Sad, all day, what's wrong? Was it the nightmare?” Stiles asked, watching as Allison kicked off her boots and climbed onto his bed  
“Sort of?” Allison frowned “It made me think about the last couple of months and I spent most of the night thinking about the winter formal”  
“Ah” Stiles crawled onto the bed and crossed his legs opposite her “Which one do you want to talk about first?” He asked  
“They both kind of go hand in hand” Allison replied, playing with the straw of her milkshake instead of meeting his steady gaze  
“No judgements Alli, I promise” Stiles crossed his heart for good measure earning a smile at the gesture. So Allison took a deep breath and she told him about the dream, about the wolf, about their dad, how it hadn't been the first time she had dreamt about it, but it was the first time he had made an appearance, before Stiles could respond Allison began to tell him her feelings on the winter formal, on the inadequacy she still feels for not being able to stop Peter from getting to Lydia, how that was effectively her breaking point and how she can't help but wonder that all Lydia sees when she looks at Allison is the act that made her into a werewolf, she punctuates the end of her rant by throwing now empty milkshake into the trash can by Stiles' bed. Stiles looks thoughtful for several moments before reaching over and grabbing her hands in his own  
“Okay, so you seriously think you're to blame for Lydia becoming a werewolf?”  
“Yeah” Allison nodded glumly  
“And you think that's one of the reasons she's been acting all sharp and mean?” Another nod. Stiles rolled his eyes and removed one of his hands to flick her in the forehead “You're an idiot”  
“Ow! What the shit Stiles?”  
“Lydia has always been sharp and mean”  
“Not with me” Allison sighed “Not as much anyway”  
“The reason she's acting weird is probably because our dad is metaphorically breathing down her neck constantly, waiting for her to slip up. You can't blame her for being a bit concerned and defensive”  
“Fair point” Allison nodded  
“Secondly, there's nobody to blame for Lydia being a werewolf but Peter, you didn't cause it”  
“But what if she thinks that it is my fault?”  
“Then that's her problem” Stiles huffed “You could just ask her? It sounds like you two need to have a good heart to heart”  
Allison nodded in agreement and sighed “I miss my best friend”  
“I thought Scott was your best friend” Stiles smirked  
“You know what I mean” Allison glares  
“I know” Stiles nods “So the dream, are you sure it's her?”  
“One hundred percent” Allison pulls one of her hands away to run it over her face “It's not the first time I’ve had that dream but I just knew last night”  
“You had a sex dream while I slept next to you and you dreamt about dad watching it” Stiles frowned, Allison gave a scandalised gasp and shoved him  
“It was _not_ a sex dream Stiles! I don't know what kind of fucked up porn you've been watching but-”  
“Okay, okay!” Stiles moved away from her shoves and held his hands up in surrender “I take it back, it wasn't a sex dream!” He laughed  
“You're a jackass”  
“Made you smile” Stiles sing songs, making Allison laugh harder  
“Thank you, I needed it” Allison moves so she can lean against the headboard  
“Seriously though” Stiles drops his playful tone “You don't need to be taking a psychology class to understand it” Allison raised her eyebrows in confusion “Remember, no judgement, but you like Lydia right?”  
“When you say like...?”  
“I mean it in a 'I want to make out with you and do other things that will never be repeated to my brother' kind of way”  
“Oh” Allison scratches her head “Yeah, maybe”  
“Maybe?”  
“I don't know... I, I just always wanted to be her friend, I never considered the possibility that it wasn't friendship I wanted”  
“But It makes sense right? With the whole wanting to protect her at the winter formal and then going all dark Allison for all but five minutes and going after Peter and shooting Scott and Derek, even the way you're insistent on protecting her and Scott now”  
“I guess... How are you so good at seeing this? If I didn't literally have a dream about her I wouldn't have a clue”  
Stiles shrugged “I guess you're just too close to see it”  
“Maybe” Allison agreed quietly  
“But back to the dream”  
“Right” Allison nodded  
“So you and wolfed out Lydia, so maybe... you're scared of her wolf? Scared that she could hurt you-”  
“She protected me yesterday!” Allison points out  
“True, but my point still stands”  
“Okay, fine” Allison sighs “What about dad?”  
“Conflict, she's a wolf, he's a hunter, kind of wants to shoot her dead”  
“How much do you think he'll want her gone if he knows I have feelings for her?”  
“Do you want the truth?”  
“Like you can even lie to me”  
“I think it's fifty fifty, there's a chance he'll actually be a fucking dad and realise that maybe killing our best friend and your.... Lydia, is a stupid fucking idea”  
“Or?”  
“Or, he'll become evil hunter and try to kill her because you want her- even more so if she wants you back”  
“Does she? Want me?”  
“You'll have to ask her yourself”  
“No way” Allison shook her head “I'm not putting her at a higher risk than necessary, besides, I don't even know for sure if these feelings are legitimate”  
“Well, you should try and work that out” Stiles wrapped an arm around her “I know it's hard, even more so when trying to juggle potential life or death situations, but try okay? You deserve to be happy Alli”  
Allison smiled and wrapped an arm around Stiles' waist and dropped her head onto his shoulder “I'm so glad that you exist Stiles, you know that right?”  
“Duh,You'd be stuck without me”  
“Please, you wouldn't be able to tie your shoes if I wasn't here” Allison scoffed  
“Good thing we're stuck together”  
“Through thick and thin” Allison smirked  
  
  
Scott knew who was behind the door before he even opened it, that didn't stop him from making a sound of surprise though  
“Lydia! What- what are you doing here?”  
Lydia pushed her way into the house “Is your mom here?”  
“Um.. No, she left for work like an hour ago, is everything okay?”  
“Chris and his hunter buddies attacked me”  
“What?! Are you okay?” Scott took a step closer  
“I'm fine” Lydia held her hands up and Scott noticed the bag in her right hand “They just destroyed my car”  
“What is it with them and cars?” Scott mumbled, thinking back to when they did the same thing to Derek's  
“It's a good threat” Lydia folded her arms, her heart was beating fast than usual and he could tell she was doing a half decent job at concealing the fact that she is in fact, shaken by the ordeal  
“Do you want a drink?” Scott gestured towards the kitchen “I have juice, do you like juice?”  
Lydia laughs “Yeah, juice sounds really good right about now” she followed him into the kitchen and sat at the island while he pulled two juice boxes from the fridge  
“You want apple or grape?”  
“Grape, obviously”  
“Obviously” Scott grinned and set the purple box down in front of her. She pulled the straw off and aggressively stabbed the box (She totally wasn't picturing Chris' face) “Was it that bad? What did he say?”  
“He just gave me the whole 'Stay away from my kids or I’ll kill you slowly' talk while his buddies smashed my car up”  
“Have you told Stiles or Allison?”  
“Yeah Scott, I went to the house of the guy who wants me dead to tell his kids that his friends smashed my car” Lydia rolled her eyes  
“Why did you even skip out on us like that?” Scott asked  
Lydia pushed the bag forward “I brought them a phone each, so we can talk to them when shit like this happens”  
“Oh” Scott grabbed the bag and pulled out the boxes containing the phones “Shit, Lydia these are better than the phones they had before”  
Lydia waves a hand dismissively “Early birthday present, whatever, we really need to get those phones to them though”  
“I'll take them”  
“Are you sure?”  
“It's not the first time I’ve had to sneak in and out of their house, I can handle it” Scott shrugged “But you should make a point to talk to Allison soon”  
“Why?”  
Scott shrugged “She just seems down”  
“Well none of us are exactly sunshine and rainbows McCall”  
“You know what I mean”  
“Yeah” Lydia sighed “I do, look when you give them the phones, can you not mention the car incident?”  
“I can't promise anything, but I’ll try” Scott smiled “What are you going to do about school?”  
“I'll call Danny and ask him for a ride” Lydia replied “They wouldn't come near me when there's a innocent human around right?”  
“I guess?” Scott replied hesitantly  
“That's good enough for me”  
  
  
Stiles is half asleep, caught somewhere between a dream and reality, it's the first time he and Allison had really been apart the last few days.  
Ever since their mother died, it had become common for one of them to seek the other out at night, whenever the nightmares got too bad or when one of them couldn't sleep, they'd find each other. Stiles had memories of it happening before mom died, being four years old and hiding in Allison's room with her while their parents looked for them both for the various activities they had no choice in taking part it- in hindsight Stiles can see that they were trying to groom them for the hunter lifestyle.  
He scrunches his eyes closer together and rolls over to face the window, pushing the thoughts back, he's officially decided to take Allison's approach on the subject. Don't think about it, the last thing they need it to bring up past memories that would ruin the idyllic image of their mother. Stiles let out a low breath and opened his eyes. He sees a figure hunched on the windowsill and Stiles can't stop the scream that leaves his throat as he throws himself backwards and falling off of the bed, pulling the covers with him.  
In a instant, his door is flying open, Allison dropping to his side, arms curling protectively around him as their dad appears in the doorway, turning the light on and- holy shit he has a gun  
“What happened?” Chris demands, his eyes falling on the window Stiles risks a sidelong glance and realises with a sigh of relief that it's closed  
“Nightmare” Stiles breathes out, he lets Allison shift him so he's sitting up and no longer tangled in his blankets and runs a hand over his face. Chris stares at Stiles and Allison who is rubbing soft circles into his back while he tries to remember how to breathe and closes the door on his way out from the room. Stiles drops his head to Allison's shoulder  
“What happened?” Allison whispered, her eyes still trained on the door  
“I opened my eyes, and there was someone on my windowsill” Allison pulled away and got to her feet, walking over to the window and pulling it open, she moved back to the bed as Stiles clambered back on, a few minutes passed and Scott came clambering through, looking thoroughly apologetic  
“I'm so sorry dude” Scott whispered “I didn't mean to scare you”  
“Knock first, Jesus. I don't think my fragile heart can take any more trauma” Stiles leant against Allison and held his hand over his chest  
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Allison asked  
“Lydia brought you guys something” Scott hands the bag over to Stiles who pulls out the two boxes and hands one to Allison  
“Phones? She brought us phones?”  
“She already put our numbers in, they're so you can keep in contact when we're not at school”  
“These must've cost a fortune” Allison frowned “They're better than our regular phones”  
“Nothing but the best for Lydia Martin” Stiles muttered, Allison elbowed him and shifted to make space for Scott “Where is our tiny werewolf”  
“Call her tiny and she'll rip your spine out” Allison laughed  
“At home I guess? She came to my place to give me them, stayed for a bit and then left” Scott shrugged  
“And she couldn't come here, why?” Allison asked with a frown  
“She...” Scott looked hesitant “I think she was scared”  
“Lydia? Scared?” Stiles' eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He stared at Scott for a while “Okay, I know that look. What happened?”  
“She asked me not to tell”  
“Scott” Stiles folded his arms, Scott let out a pained whine  
“Your dad and his hunter friends showed up and trashed her car while your dad told her to stay away from you both”  
Allison gave Stiles a worried look and looked down at the phone in her hands, Stiles put a hand on her shoulder and nodded  
“Go, call her”  
“Thank you” She kissed Stiles on the cheek and did the same for Scott “Night guys”  
“Night” Scott waved, he waited for Allison to close the door behind her “What's wrong?”  
Stiles shrugged “She's just worried about Lydia” Scott nodded slowly in understanding  
“I get it, are you okay? I feel like we haven't really had a chance to talk”  
“Yeah, a dad who wants your best friend dead tends to ruin things a bit” Stiles frowned “I miss us”  
“I miss us too” Scott smiled sadly  
“Wanna play video games? I'm sure we can be quiet?”  
Scott brightened and was already moving towards where Stiles kept his games “Oh you're so on, I’ll kick your ass at street fighter, I’m warning you now”  
  
  
Allison was sat on her bed, phone pressed to her ear, listening as it rang out, Allison tried to push down the dread in her stomach as she got up and moved to her window, resting her head against the cool glass  
“Hello?”  
“Lydia” Allison breathed a sigh of relief  
“Is everything okay?”  
“Oh y-yeah” she ran a hand through her hair and paced the room quietly “Scott told us what happened”  
“I fucking knew he would! That-”  
“I'm sorry” Allison interrupted “For what he did, I’m so sorry” She heard Lydia sigh on the other line and the rustling of sheets  
“It's not your fault” Lydia replied  
“Still, I’m sorry, okay?” Allison moved back towards her bed  
“Okay” Lydia sighed and god, she sounds exhausted. They fall silent then, Allison just settles for listening to the steady breathing on the other side of the phone  
“Lydia?” Allison speaks after what feels like a lifetime  
“Yeah?” Lydia replies almost immediately  
“You won't.... will you?”  
“I won't what?”  
“Stay away from us” From _me_  
There's a silence, and it stretches on so long, Allison has to check her phone to make sure the call is still connected  
“I won't” Lydia said quietly “I can't”  
“Good” Allison closed her eyes “Because I don't want you to” Allison yawned  
“Okay”  
“I'm not gonna let him hurt you Lyds”  
Lydia laughs quietly “I believe you, now go to sleep”  
Allison hums “Night Lydia”  
“Goodnight, Allison”  
  
  
When Stiles finally dragged himself to breakfast the next morning Allison couldn't help but wince in sympathy  
“Did you even sleep last night?” She whispered  
“No” Stiles dropped his head to the table, Allison poured him a bowl of lucky charms and forcibly put the spoon in his hand “Me and Scott played video games all night”  
“Aw, did you miss your best friend?” Stiles lifted his head and looked at her incredulously “Stupid question, I know” Allison rolled her eyes and went back to her cereal “Now hurry up and eat, I’ll buy you a coffee on the way to school”  
Stiles ate so fast he choked on a rainbow marshmallow  
  


"You guys are early" Scott remarked. Stiles meet out an agonised groan and slammed his head against his locker  
"Stiles needed caffeine" Allison smirked  
"Damn you and your werewolf powers man, are you not even a little bit tired?" Stills whined  
Scott shrugged "ill be good for the rest of the day"  
"Ugh, everything is awful"  
"Why is everything awful?" Lydia asked as she approached the group  
"Scott and stiles stayed up all night playing videos and apparently stiles forgot that he's a human who needs sleep" Allison replied, amused. She turned to Lydia and smiled "hey"  
"Hey yourself" Lydia smiled back "so you guys like the phones then?"  
"Lydia, they're amazing!" Stiles brightened up enough to grin at the girl  
"They're expensive" Allison corrected, "we're going to pay you back for them"  
"Nonsense-"  
"Lydia, please" Allison sighed, "I don't want to owe you for it" Lydia frowned at her and stepped forward, placing a hand on Allison's arm and Allison had to force herself not to flinch, she could see in Lydia's eyes that the smaller girl didn't miss the action  
"Allison." Lydia's voice was firm "don't worry about it, honestly, it's fine"  
"Honestly, we have a bigger problem" Scott chimed in, ever the voice if reason. He folded his arms and leant beside stiles, their shoulders touching "what's the next move?" He asked  
"Getting that bestiary" Stiles replied, "right?" He looked over to Allison who nodded  
"Yeah, and try to get a feel for their plans, find out their movements"  
"Hey there sweethearts" a voice sang from somewhere beside them, Lydia's grip tightened instantly around Allison's arm, causing her to hiss. "Allison, Stiles" Erica nodded to each twin in turn "plotting our deaths yet?" She asked, lips curled up into a smirk, behind her Isaac and Boyd stood on either side of her, Allison gritted her teeth and went to reply, a string of insults already on her lips  
"Back off Reyes" Lydia growled, "they haven't touched you"  
"Derek said you can never trust an Argent"  
"If it wasn't for Allison, he wouldn't be an alpha" Scott stepped forward  
"The way I see it, he doesn't deserve that power" Lydia straightened her shoulders and put her must intimidating glare on her face  
"Are you threatening us?" Erica asked, dropping her playful act and stepping forward, painfully close to Allison and Lydia, Allison whines as Lydia's claws slide out and press into her skin  
"I'm telling you to back off of Allison" Lydia growls and Allison chances a look to the girl "and Stiles" Lydia adds, almost as an afterthought  
"Thanks for the consideration" Stiles muttered  
"Guys" Scott steps between them, gently pushing Erica back "we are in school" he reminds them. Surprisingly, Erica does back away, smiling brightly again, her eyes focused on Lydia  
"Fine" she says, "but don't forget, you're a pair of Omega's who are running around with hunters, don't come crawling to us when it bites you in the ass" Erica smirks and walls away, heels clicking against the the hallway floor as she walls away, her bodyguards in tow  
Lydia growls at the retreating figures and retracts her claws from Allison's arm and holds a hand over the crescent marked gouges into her arm, thankfully not drawing blood "I’m sorry" Lydia rubs the skin soothingly  
"It's okay"  
"Jesus Lydia, my sister isn't a scratching post you know? First with the bruise, now this?" Stiles chuckles  
"Stiles!" Allison spins to him and glare, Stiles' laughing stops immediately  
"Bruise? What bruise?" Lydia asked  
"Oh... Whoops" Stiles ran a hand over his hair  
"Allison," Lydia caught her wrist and span her around so they were face to face "what bruise?"  
Allison sighed and pulled her shirt down slightly to show the deep purple edges of the mark, she saw a flash of hurt pass over Lydia's face. Stiles cleared his voice pointedly  
"Hey Scott," he nudged his arm "we should get to class"  
"Yeah, totally" Scott agreed. Allison felt Stiles pat her shoulder as they walked past and headed towards their first class  
"I did that, didn't I?" Lydia asked as Allison fixed her shirt  
"It's nothing"  
"But I did, didn't I? It was when I got between you and Isaac"  
"Yeah" Allison nodded. Lydia frowned "but it's better than being slashed open so..." Allison joked, Lydia gave her a look that distinctly told her it wasn't funny "thank you Lydia, you saved my life that day"  
"But I hurt you" Lydia pointed out with a sigh  
"Are you upset because you hurt me? Or because you couldn't control your strength?" Allison asked, glancing down at her arm, to where the nail marks still stood out starkly against the skin  
"Both" Lydia muttered, and pulled her bag tighter over her shoulder "I should be better by now, I should be in control by now"  
"Lydia, you've only been through one moon, it's okay to not to have perfect control" Lydia hummed and turned slightly  
"We'll be late to class" she says curtly and loops her arm through Allison's and leading her in the direction Scott and Stiles had gone earlier, and Allison could understand why it was bothering her so much, Lydia had always been in perfect control, always planned everything to the tiniest detail. Allison imagines that Lydia must feel completely out of her depth right now, to her credit, she's doing a good job at hiding it  
"If it helps," Allison glances over at her "I think you have great control, you'd make a good alpha one day"  
The shock on Lydia's face turned into a dazzling smile that left Allison's stomach fluttering as she willed her heart to slow down

  

Allison should have known better, she had felt eyes on her all through class, she could see Scott and Lydia tense up constantly, stiles had at least managed to keep Scott somewhat distracted from whatever Erica and Isaac were saying (Lydia had steadfastly refused to give her any details but judging from the tension in Stiles' shoulders, Scott didn't have the same reservations)  
So really, when Erica followed her into the bathroom, she shouldn't have been surprised.  
"What will it take for you to believe that I'm not trying to kill you?" Allison asked  
Erica hummed as she applied more lipstick before grinning "who says I would trust you?" Erica asked "you are an Argent"  
"This again?" Allison wiped her hands on her jeans before folding them across her chest "I don't see you harassing Stiles like this"  
"Who said anything about harassing?"  
"Well, you have followed me into the bathroom" Allison pointed out, she could feel her heartbeat in her ears, fully aware that if she could feel it racing, then Erica definitely knew  
Honestly, she wished she had a weapon, not even to use, there's just something comforting about holding a knife, a crossbow. She had a knife in the glove compartment of her car, but that wouldn't help in this situation  
"And the reason I follow you is because I'm trying to test a theory" Erica grinned, showing all of her teeth and crowding into Allison's space, forcing her back against the wall, Allison felt a fresh wave of fear wash over her  
"What kind of theory?" Allison asked, forcing herself to breathe. Erica shrugged and closed the distance, slotting her lips over Allison's. Allison froze, Erica's claws had slipped out and were digging painfully into her wrists  
It was wrong, it was so wrong  
The kiss in itself wasn't bad, too much teeth, the feel of the lipstick waxy.  
And okay, Allison definitely wasn't entirely straight  
But that didn't explain the way her stomach twisted with guilt  
  
 

“Lydia?” Stiles looked back at the girl who had frozen in place  
“Lydia what happened?” Scott is walking back to her, ducking his head to try and meet her eyes. Lydia bristles as she listens to Allison's heart rate sky-rocketing, can smell the anxiety coming off of her in wave, a cocktail of emotions that Lydia can't even begin to pick apart, she focuses on the heartbeat closest to Allison's, she can smell smoke and ash and bad perfume  
 _Erica_  
Everything goes to shit when she smells blood

 

Allison shoves Erica back as hard as she can manage and presses the back of her hand to her lower lip to staunch the bleeding. Erica stumbled back a few places, her eyes gold, canines elongated and Allison could see the blood  
“What the fuck” Allison hissed  
Erica hummed and licked the blood from her teeth “Kinda hurt you didn't kiss me back there Argent”  
“Fuck you”  
Erica laughed “No hard feelings, I needed to test a theory” Allison pulled her hand away and winced at the blood she saw, she glanced at herself in the mirror and- yep, that's going to be hard to explain  
The door practically flew off it's hinges as Lydia stormed in, murder in her eyes, grabbed Erica and threw her against the wall, she stormed up to Allison and gripped her chin with more force than she probably intended to, her nostrils flared at the sight of Allison's lip  
“Are you okay?” She growled. Allison barely managed to nod, Lydia almost looked like she was going to be sick and manoeuvred Allison so she could push her towards the door “Leave”  
“Lydia, I didn't-”  
“Leave, Allison.” Lydia snapped and she already had her back to Allison, moving to grab Erica. Allison swallowed and wiped at her lip again and left the room, almost barrelling into Stiles and Scott in the process  
“Allison are you- Holy shit!” Stiles cupped her chin and tilted her head “Who did that to you?”  
“Erica”  
“I'm gonna kill her” Stiles broke away from Allison and went to walk into the bathroom, Scott grabbed the scruff of his shirt with one hand and looped his arm through Allison's  
“Threatening to kill her isn't really going to help with the whole 'we aren't going to hurt you' thing you're trying to push on them”  
“That was before one of them tore a chunk out of my sisters lip!” Stiles hissed “What the fuck happened Allison?”  
Allison ducked her head, mostly to avoid the questioning looks of the rest of the school “Erica kissed me, bit me. Lydia turns up, looks at me like I’m the dirt on her shoe”  
“It's probably because she can smell your blood” Scott replied, “It bothers us”  
“You do look kinda pale dude” Stiles muttered. Scott nodded  
Allison and Stiles shared a look, they had known Scott for years, they knew all of his tells, they knew when he was trying to act cool, they knew he was holding back, but Allison reasoned that there was probably a good reason for it, so after giving Stiles the tiniest shake of her head they let it go and let Scott lead them as far away from the bathroom as possible

 

“What the fuck” Lydia growled, slamming Erica into the wall again, she let her claws dig into the blondes jacket  
“I knew you'd come running” Erica smirked  
“Is that why you fucking kissed her?” Lydia pushed away and kept her distance, all she could smell was Allison. Allison's perfume, her shampoo, her blood “To get to me?”  
Erica straightened herself and played with the tattered edges of her jacket, pouting at them “I kissed her for a whole bunch of reasons” Erica shrugged, Lydia growled again “But I have been meaning to talk to you”  
“You have five minutes” Lydia warned  
“You and Scott, you have no alpha, you're weak”  
“You want a bet Reyes?” Lydia curled her hands into fists “You haven't even had your first moon yet. I reckon I can take you on”  
“Oh sweetie” Erica's eyes turned gold “Don't go throwing threats you can't keep. I'm trying to offer you an out”  
“An out?”  
“Join Derek, you'll be a Beta, strength in numbers, this whole 'relying on humans' act you have going on is kind of sad”  
“I don't rely on them” Lydia snapped  
“Really?” Erica laughed “Because this whole scene” She gestures around them “Makes me think differently”  
“You bit Allison” Lydia growled “Of course I’m going to intervene." Lydia felt a tug of jealousy in her gut  
“Was it the bite? Or the kiss?” Erica smirked, Lydia growled in response and Erica laughed, standing up straighter “I thought so, for the record. She didn't kiss me back” Lydia felt something relax inside her “But I meant what I said, they're only going to cause trouble. She's going to cause trouble for you” Erica said pointedly  
“You're going to regret saying that when she saves your ass”  
“Do you really think she's going to choose you over her father?” Erica folds her arms and Lydia is at a loss.  
She wants to say yes, god she really wants to. And sure, everything Allison has done so far has pointed to her allegiance being solely with the wolves, but push comes to shove, if it came down to a fight, would Allison stand by her and Scott?  
She knows she should take Stiles into the equation, Stiles and Allison are a pair, you can't have one without the other but she also can't be sure if Stiles' influence would be enough to sway Allison  
“You should think about that” Erica says, and as she reaches the door she looks at Lydia over her shoulder “You can have her by the way, she's yours” and then she's out of the door leaving Lydia alone with the smell of Allison's blood and Lydia doesn't know what to do with those words so she grabs her bag and leaves the room and heads for the exit

 

“How bad is it?” Allison mumbled, Stiles prodded at her lip  
“Pretty bad”  
“What do I say to dad?”  
“Say I hit you in the face with a text book, have you felt those things? They weigh like ten pounds” Stiles shrugged  
“Erica left the bathroom” Scott looks up from his sandwich  
“And Lydia?”  
Scott shook his head and put his sandwich down onto the table “Guys...” He began, looking unsure “If you really had to choose between me and Lydia or your dad. Who would it be?”  
“You guys” Stiles and Allison answered immediately  
“Really?” Scott asked, “He is your dad”  
“Yeah well” Stiles shrugged “He wants to kill innocent teenagers so he isn't really in our good books”  
“Besides” Allison chimes in “As long as I have Stiles, I'm good”  
“Twins for life dude” Stiles nudged his shoulder with Allison's. Scott nodded, looking slightly relieved and changed the topic to the homework he and Allison had for the next class, as Scott and Allison went to part ways with Stiles, Stiles caught Allison's arm  
"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes flickering over her face   
"I'll be fine" Allison replied quickly, pulling her arm away  
"Are you sure? You look even more depressed than yesterday"  
"I'll be fine Stiles, thank you" She kissed him on the cheek and followed Scott down the hall   
  
  
  
“Stiles” Boyd greeted, staring at the person sat in the desk beside Stiles until they left  
“Oh, hey Boyd” Stiles smiled sheepishly as Boyd settled into the seat beside him “You aren't going to kiss me are you? Because if that's the new intimidation tactic-”  
“I'm not going to kiss you” Boyd laughed “And I’m not going to intimidate you” Boyd pulled his books from his bag and looked over at Stiles “Tell your sister I’m sorry for what Erica did, it was out of line”  
“Thank you, I’m sure she'll appreciate it” Stiles muttered “Why don't you guys trust us?”  
“I trust you” Boyd spoke quietly, leaning back into his seat “Allison... Slightly less so because she did shoot Derek that one time, but she also helped take down Peter” Boyd shrugged  
“You do?” Stiles leant forward hopefully  
“Yeah” Boyd smiled “You're both very sincere and Scott and Lydia trust you so that's enough for me”  
“But not for Erica and the others?”  
“Derek won't trust anybody with the name Argent. Erica and Isaac.... I think they're just agreeing with him”  
“But you're trying to convince them otherwise right?”  
“I'm trying” Boyd nodded slowly  
“I'm glad you're on our side, can any of them hear us?”  
“Nah, they're on the other side of the building” Boyd wrote down something their teacher had said “If I give you my number” Boyd looks back over to Stiles “Will you keep me in the loop with the hunters movements?”  
“Only if you promise to try and convince the sour wolf and your buddies that we aren't trying to kill them”  
“Of course”

 

“Lydia” Deaton greeted with a smile “What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?”  
“This is important and I really didn't want to go to Derek for advice and Scott doesn't know anything I don't already know” Lydia closed the door behind her  
“Well, I’ll help anyway I can of course” Deaton waved for her to join him in the back room “What's wrong?”  
“Erica kissed Allison and she bit her and that happened like an hour ago but I can't stop smelling the blood”  
“You have increased senses Lydia, that's to be expected”  
“Is that also why I want to tear Erica's face off?” Lydia asked, folding her arms. Deaton stared at Lydia thoughtfully for a moment before laughing gently to himself  
“I'm a vet Lydia, not a psychologist”  
“What's that supposed to mean?” Lydia demanded  
“Are you a possessive person in general? Before you were bitten I mean”  
“I guess so?” Lydia replied, normally she probably would have been insulted at anybody making assumptions about her but honestly she was worked up and she could smell Allison's blood _everywhere_  
“Lydia, you don't need me to tell you what's going on” Deaton smiled at her  
“Jesus, just say it already”  
“You're jealous that Erica kissed Allison before you did, and your wolf sees Allison as belonging to you and Erica took that from you”  
“Allison doesn't belong to me”  
“But you want her to”  
“People don't belong to people, Deaton” Lydia flicks her hair, she doesn't know why she says it, but the words are out of her mouth before she can really stop herself anyway  
“Maybe not” Deaton agrees “But you're not entirely human now are you?”  
“I'm still a person”  
“And you want Allison to be yours. You've claimed her” Deaton tells her with a sense of finality, Lydia takes it as his way of saying _'conversation over now get out'_  
So she does. She nods to him, thanks him for his help (she doesn't mean for it to sound sarcastic but whatever) and leaves.  
She goes straight home because honestly, she can't face Allison right now and she really needs to get rid of the smell  
  
  
  
“Think we can get Dad's hunter buddies on some illegal possession of firearms charges?” Stiles asked  
“What?” Allison looked up from the Bestiary, Scott was hidden somewhere opposite the house, ready to call if he saw their father approach, giving Stiles a chance to ransack his office while Allison took photos of the bestiary to translate  
“I'm just saying” Stiles frowned at some documents “We call in an anonymous tip about some shady looking guys in leather hanging around the motel, say we saw a gun, the cops go check it out, surely they can't all be as legit as dad” he holds up a sheet of paper “I think I found their names”  
“I don't know” Allison sighed “He seems to be doing everything by the book, it seems unlikely he'd risk them getting caught in case it incriminates him”  
“But we can try it?”  
“We can try” Allison nodded “I say we just slash their tires during free period tomorrow, they're out most of the night looking for the wolves so they have to sleep at some point right?”  
“Okay... That's a bit illegal. But I like it” Stiles laughed  
“Not as illegal as hunting teenagers in the night” Allison frowned  
“Okay, fair”  
“So Boyd is really going to try and convince them that we aren't evil?” Allison closed the book with a sigh and rubbed her bottom lip, flinching at the memory it brought up “You should have told him to punch Erica”  
“At least you know that you're not straight?”  
“Are you trying to tell me that there's a silver lining to Erica tearing a chunk of my lip off?” Allison laughed  
“I guess?” Stiles shrugged “There's nothing else here Ali”  
“At least we have this” Allison held up her phone, “It's going to take me a while to translate, especially without a computer to type it all up to”  
“Just do what you can” Stiles smiled encouragingly “I'll call Scott and tell him we're done so he can finally get some sleep”  
“Sounds good” Allison pats Stiles' shoulder as he moves past her so she can lock the room. Allison listens as Stiles talks to Scott and waits until he's hung up and they've moved upstairs and about to part before she speaks again "I feel guilty because Erica kissed me" She blurts out  
Stiles freezes with his hand on the door, he turns to face her "What?"  
"When Erica kissed me. All i could think about was how wrong it felt because she shouldn't have been the one to kiss me"  
"It should have been Lydia?" Stiles asks, and Allison smiles at him, because she knows he isn't asking her, not really. He's trying to tell her what they already knew, but this just confirmed it all  
"Yeah" Allison nods "It should have been Lydia"  
  
  
  
When Lydia climbs through Scott's window at three In the morning, he isn't surprised. A little pissed, sure- it is 3am after all. But he isn't surprised.  
“Lydia” He greets quietly, flicking on his lamp as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes “You skipped out on the rest of school today” “Yeah” Lydia closes the window carefully and begins to pace his room, she looks remarkable well put together despite the time, wearing a sundress and.. _heels?_  
“You climbed up my house in heels” Scott says before he can stop himself  
“Oh” Lydia looks down at her feet “Yeah”  
“What's wrong?”  
“I went to see Deaton” Lydia tells him, and she's still pacing  
“Sit down” Scott says, because honestly it's making him a little dizzy “What did you see Deaton about?”  
“You and Allison were never an item.... were you?” Lydia asks and Scott actually laughs at that “I'm serious McCall, you never touched her did you?” And there's something in Lydia's expression that he can't quite place, almost pleading, but ready to slash his throat if he answers in a way she doesn't want him to  
“We were never together” Scott replies honestly, because it's true, he knows that there were rumours about it, apparently when in high school, a girl and a guy can't be friends without people assuming you're together, but Allison has always been Stiles' twin sister and you don't mess with your best friends sibling. “Why?”  
Lydia runs a hand through her hair and doesn't flinch when she messes up the perfectly sculpted curls “What did you go and see Deaton about?” he asks again  
“Deaton seems to think that I’ve.... Claimed.. Allison”  
“Claimed her?” Scott frowned “What does that mean?”  
“It means” Lydia snaps “It means that if anybody touches her I want to _kill_ them because apparently I’ve decided that she belongs to me and nobody else is allowed to have her!” Lydia throws her hands up “Let alone kiss her” she adds with a growl  
“Whoa, Lydia, breathe” Scott reaches out to grab her hand “Have you spoken to her about it?”  
“Of course not! I couldn't even face her today because all I could smell was her blood and the fact that she kissed Erica”  
“Erica kissed her, she didn't kiss back”  
“I know” Lydia drops down onto Scott's bed “I know” she repeats  
“You should talk to her”  
“I _can't_ Scott” Lydia replies in a voice that sounds so broken, it almost doesn't sound like it's come from Lydia at all “It's Allison, and we have so much to deal with right now and how is she going to react when I tell her that I’ve apparently claimed her as my own!?”  
“I don't know” Scott replies honestly “But she has a right to know”  
“I know” Lydia says quietly “But I can't tell her, not yet”  
“You should ask Derek, he might know more about it- he is a born wolf after all”  
“Maybe” Lydia nods “I think Erica knows”  
“I heard what she said” Scott says “When she said you could have her”  
“You were listening?”  
“I had to make sure you were safe, but I had to get Stiles and Allison away, Stiles wanted to kill Erica and I figured you didn't want to be around Allison”  
“You figured right, It's taken me hours to get rid of the smell of her blood”  
“You know, they said they'd choose us over their dad”  
Lydia sighed, “I really hope it doesn't come to that though”  
“I know” Scott agrees “Me too”

 


	3. And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry" Allison closes her eyes "I'm sorry he hurt you" she says it so sadly, so sincerely and helplessly, Lydia feels her heart clench painfully in her chest, she can feel the guilt pouring off of her in waves and Lydia wants to reassure her, she wants to tell Allison all the ways in which absolutely none of this was her fault, wants to hug her and reassure her in every way possible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from "Kiss me" By Ed Sheeran (THANK YOU KAYLA FOR THAT SONG YOU AMAZING HUMAN)

 

“Stiles” Allison yelled as she ran into his room, one hand over her eyes  
“Fucking hell- ALLISON, ever heard of knocking?” there’s a beat of silence “You can move your hand, I’m dressed” Stiles says and Allison can hear him rolling his eyes  
“Stiles, dads on the phone and he's being shady as fuck” Allison jumps over a pile of clothes to grab his hand and pull him from the room  
“Shady as fuck? Who even says that?!” Stiles protested  
“I do!” Allison snapped back as they sneak down the stairs, they both slap a hand over each others mouths when they hear Chris' voice  
“Okay, so we make our move tonight?” Chris asks. “Is everything ready? Good, I’ll meet you at the reserve then. Don't be late” Stiles pulls Allison back up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible  
“Holy shit” Allison gasps as she leans against his closed door “Stiles, he's going after them tonight”  
“It's fine” Stiles mutters, running a hand through his hair “We'll call Scott and Lydia and Boyd and warn them”  
“We have class with them first right?” Allison asked  
“Yeah” Stiles nodded, typing a message out on his phone  
“Good. And we have free period right after that don't we?”  
“Um... Yeah?”  
“Good” Allison nods, and for a moment Stiles gets a flash of something dark in her eyes “Keep dad distracted for like ten minutes would you?” Allison smiled sweetly  
“Oh god” Stiles muttered as she left the room “Allison, what are you planning?” He watched her grab her bag from the room and run from the room and down the stairs “Allison! God dammit” He grabbed his bag and ran down the stairs after her “I'm going to get arrested, I just know it” he muttered

 

“Are you sure he's going to make a move tonight?” Scott asked quietly  
“Well I don't think he's going to a fucking knitting class that’s for damn sure” Stiles muttered, Allison rolled her eyes at him and tried to catch Lydia's eyes, to no avail, she frowned at Scott who shrugged his shoulders  
“What's the plan?” Scott asked Allison, if only to pull her attention away from Lydia  
“For now?” she asked “Stay indoors tonight”  
“We stay indoors every night Allison” Lydia replied, finally meeting Allison's gaze  
“Well that's not true, Scott came by the other day to give us our phones” Allison reminds her, smiling softly  
“We have a back up plan” Stiles interrupts  
“Yeah” Allison nods “We just need you guys to promise that you'll stay indoors until we've made it safe”  
“Until you've made it safe?” Lydia asks “What do you mean?”  
Allison opens her mouth to respond but gets interrupted by their teacher scolding Lydia for talking and then proceeding to split them all up for the rest of the class  
  
“Where did they go?” Lydia asks Scott once she's left the room  
“I don't know” Scott shakes his head “They practically ran as soon as the bell rang, I couldn't keep up”  
“God dammit Scott” Lydia groaned “Call them”

 

"Well?" Allison asked as Stiles got back into the car  
"No cameras on the car park" Stiles replied "was it really necessary to park this far away?"  
"Of course" Allison drummed her fingers to the beat of her music and smiled at Stiles "we're braking the law in pure daylight, we want to do this right" she twists in her seat to grab her bag and after a minute of rummaging pulls out a pair of leather gloves and drops them in Stiles' lap before pulling out her own and pulling them on  
"Should I be scared that you're this prepared?" Stiles frowned as he slipped the gloves on. Allison shrugged  
"If anything, you should be relieved that I am" Allison grins and checks her phone before she puts the second glove on "have Scott and Lydia tried to call you?"  
"Yeah, like ten times. Each." Stiles frowned "why aren't we answering again?"  
"Because they would insist on coming along and I don't want to incriminate either of them in this"  
"And because Lydia wouldn't look at you today?" Stiles asked with a smirk, Allison opened her mouth to protest only to be cut off by Stiles holding up a hand "I'm not blind Allison, I saw the way you looked at her when she wouldn't"  
Allison sighed and dropped her head to the steering wheel "I think I upset her yesterday"  
"Really?" Stiles asked, "because of the whole Erica kiss thing?" Allison nodded glumly "that wasn't your problem, it's not like you kissed her back"  
"But maybe Lydia doesn't know that?" Allison lifted her head, her curls falling around her face  
"You should tell her" Stiles nodded "by kissing her. On the lips," he nodded some more  
"I should tell Lydia that I didn't want to kiss Erica... By kissing Lydia?"  
"Yeah!" Stiles grinned "basically, just kiss Lydia and be done with the whole thing"  
"As if it was that simple Stiles" Allison sighed "kissing Lydia might just cause more trouble"  
"Hm" Stiles looked thoughtful for a moment "we should probably get to the whole slashing tires thing if we want to get back to school in time for lunch"  
"Right, yeah" Allison nodded and slipped on her glove "feelings aide. I am focused" she nodded to herself and pulled a knife from the bag "let's teach these assholes a lesson" Allison grinned at Stiles once more and opened the car door and slipped out "come on Stiles, no going back now"  
"Oh god" stiles muttered "this is so illegal" he got out of the car and jogged after Allison

 

  
“Where have you guys been?” Scott asked “You both just kind of disappeared after class.  
“And you both decided to ignore your phones” Lydia added, eyes scanning over Allison quickly “I thought we agreed not to do that. Where did you go?”  
“We paid a visit to that motel where we thought the hunters were staying”  
“And?” Scott asked  
“They were there” Allison rests her chin in her hand “So we slashed all of their tires” she added with a shrug  
“You know, as you do” Stiles muttered  
“You went to where the hunters were staying? Without telling us?” Lydia gritted her teeth and glared at Allison “Do you have a death wish?”  
“We aren't werewolves Lydia” Stiles pointed out “They have no grounds for trying to kill us”  
“It's still reckless. Surely you've had enough of life threatening situations for the past week?” Lydia glances down at Allison's chest and back up to her lips  
“They destroyed your car, it's only fair I wreck theirs” Allison shrugged, pulling her lunch from her bag. She looked up after a minute of silence to find Lydia's eyes on her own, watching her carefully  
“But there may have been a....complication” Stiles interrupts their little staring competition and looks at Lydia sheepishly  
“What do you mean, complication?” Lydia asked  
“Well” Stiles hesitates and looks over to Allison “We were committing a felony, in broad daylight”  
“Stiles, what happened” Scott frowned  
“We were slashing the tires of the last car and somebody showed up so we ran” Allison says  
“We may have left the knife in the wheel”  
“Oh my god, please tell me you were wearing gloves” Lydia groans  
“Of course we were! We're not that stupid”  
“Clearly stupid enough to leave the knife behind” Scott muttered, hissing when Allison kicked him from under the table  
“It was one of dads from his little armoury, they'll know it was one of us so they won't think it was you guys causing trouble” she smiles

 

 

“Derek!” Lydia called, surely enough the alpha appeared in the doorway a moment later  
“Do you even go to school any more?” the alpha frowned  
“It's the only time I have alone” Lydia shrugged “If I go out after dark, men in tacky leather jackets try to shoot me” Derek glares at her, Lydia groans “I said tacky, your jacket isn't tacky... Isaac and Erica's are, but that's just between us-”  
“What do you want Lydia? I know you aren't here to be my beta”  
“You got that right” Lydia folded her arms “I wanted to warn you”  
“Warn me?” Derek's laugh turned into a snarl as his eyes turned red  
“Easy there” Lydia held her hands up “Jesus Christ I’m not going to try and take away your precious alpha powers. Seriously are you this insecure? Fucking hell” she muttered. Derek's posture straightened and he let his claws slide back in  
“If you're not here to threaten me, what is it? Is it the hunters?” Derek asked  
“It's not the hunters” Lydia shook her head “Well, I do have details about them, but that's not what I’m here”  
“Why are you here?”  
“I trust you know what Erica did yesterday?”  
Derek frowned “No”  
“Really?” Lydia made a surprised sound “I thought that's what you did at the Hale pack, all meet up in a burnt out house and braid each others hair while you talk about feelings and shit” Lydia mused, Derek growled again and strode up to her, Lydia let out a warning growl of her own and shifting into a more defensive stance  
“What did Erica do?” Derek snarled  
“She kissed Allison and bit her”  
Derek stood up again and laughed “Seriously? That's why you came out here? You're pissed that Erica kissed that hunter?”  
“She _bit_ her Derek”  
“How badly?”  
“Split lip”  
Another laugh “I thought you were smart Lydia” Derek walks towards her and stops a few feet away, Lydia straightens up shifts herself back “Erica can kiss whoever she likes, I don't see why she would kiss the Argent girl but-”  
“I've claimed her” Lydia says and Derek's mouth snaps shut immediately “So unless you want a dead beta, keep them away from her”  
“You've claimed her? Are you sure?” Derek asks, and for a moment Lydia thinks she sees actual emotion in those eyes  
“That's what Deaton said” Lydia replied “So keep them the fuck away from her, I could have killed Erica yesterday”  
“Okay” Derek nodded, suddenly calm and understanding “I'll talk to them”  
“Derek”  
“Yeah?”  
“Claiming, is it permanent?”  
“Did Deaton not explain this to you?” Derek asked, walking away from Lydia back up towards the house  
“No, he literally just told me that I’d claimed her and gave me a look that said 'now get the fuck out of my building'” Lydia explained as she followed him “Is claiming bad? Is Allison in danger?”  
“There's nothing wrong with claiming, it's just like marking your territory, Allison essentially belongs to you and as wolves we have to respect that” Derek shook his head “But Allison _could_ be in danger”  
“Explain”  
“Well, she's your weak spot now, I mean look at you” Derek stared at her for a moment “You look like you'll kill somebody if they touch her”  
“That's pretty much how I feel” Lydia nodded  
“Does Allison know?”  
“No”  
“You're only making it harder on yourself. If you know she loves you back or at the very least has feelings for you, it should appease your wolf enough to stop with the persistent murderous thoughts” Derek eyed her carefully “But If people know that she's your weak spot-”  
“They'll take advantage”  
“Yes” Derek nodded “The hunters, they'd use her to lure you out”  
“Chris wouldn't risk that, not with Allison”  
“Are you sure about that? Hunters are relentless”  
Lydia pursed her lips, “I have to trust that when it comes down to it, Chris can stop being a hunter and be a father in a time where his kids would need him”  
“That trust might get you killed”  
“He's still their father, and they're two of the most amazing people I’ve ever met Derek, that has to of come from somewhere”  
“It came from themselves, they're _twins_ . Whatever good you see in them comes from them, not Chris Argent”  
“You still don't trust them?”  
Derek sighed and ran a hand over his face “Boyd seems to think that they're trustworthy and you've fallen in love with one of them and Scott has always been inseparable from them”  
“But?”  
“Until I see them actually do something to help us, I can't trust them”  
“What about everything they did for you when Peter was alive!” Lydia snapped “If it weren't for them, that psychopath might still be alive, or are you forgetting that it was thanks to their twin double act that you actually have your alpha status?” Lydia's phone chimed with a message, a quick glance showed a message from Scott, asking where she was “Look, Allison and Stiles seemed to think the hunters were going to make a move on us tonight so they went out to that motel in broad daylight and slashed all of their tires, that has to stand for something right?”  
Derek stared at her for a while before responding “Does that mean it's safe for us to go out tonight?”  
“Well they don't have any cars and they're a good distance away from here so....” Lydia shrugged “I'd say you're safe tonight, unless Allison and Stiles hear something”  
“Okay” Derek nodded “Thank you”  
Lydia nodded curtly at him before spinning on her heel and heading back the way she came

  
“So apparently somebody decided to slash the tires of handful of cars at a motel today” Chris broke the increasingly tense silence. Allison and Stiles both looked up from their dinners and caught each others gaze briefly before looking to their dad “You both wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?”  
“No that's awful” Stiles frowned “Who would do such a thing?”  
“You know,” Allison aggressively stabs a piece of asparagus and points it at Stiles “I heard that Lydia Martin's car was smashed up the other day” she gave Stiles a _look_ and she saw amusement dance behind his eyes as she stuck the fork in her mouth and chewed at the vegetable  
“I heard about that?” Stiles nodded “Any ideas on who did it?” He asked. Allison was thankful he was playing along. She shrugged and tapped the fork against her lips thoughtfully  
“Who knows, must be a lowlife though, to go after a teenager like that”  
“Yeah, they were probably in a group as well” Stiles frowned at his dinner and looked up to Chris  
“Let me stop you both right there” Chris says firmly and bends slightly to pick something up from the floor, Allison sees the flash of the knife as Chris drives it into the table. Stiles gasped dramatically  
“That is MAHOGANY” he clutches his chest and looks pained, Allison laughs despite how serious the situation has just become  
“Do you think this is a game?” Chris snaps, his hands planted on the table “You're playing with fire right now. You slashed the tires of _hunters_ and you're treating it like some kind of joke?”  
“We told you, you aren't going to kill them” Allison snaps back  
Stiles mirrored his dads actions “Those are somebodies _child_ that you want to kill! You've met Mrs McCall, you like her”  
“I do”  
“But you want to kill her son!” Stiles yelled  
“Do not raise your voice to me Stiles” Chris stood up and Stiles stood with him  
“If you think we're letting you kill them you have another thing coming!” Stiles yelled louder  
“You'll have to go through us first” Allison stood up and circled the table to stand beside Stiles. They glared at each other for several minutes, none of them daring to speak  
“Don't forget to do the dishes” Chris says eventually, pushing his plate away from him “I'm going to the office”  
“Not going out hunting tonight then?” Stiles calls after him  
“Somebody slashed the tires of my team” Chris calls back “So no”  
Allison and Stiles remain tense until they hear the door slam, Allison clenches her fists to try and hide the way they're shaking, wordlessly Stiles reaches over and takes one of her hands in his own and squeezes tight  
“Stiles, what do you think he would do if one of us were a werewolf?” she asks quietly  
“I was too scared to ask” Stiles replied, his eyes stuck on the knife in the table  
“You should call Scott and the others”  
“Why? It's safe” Stiles frowned  
“I don't think It is” Allison replied “We should keep an eye on it”  
“Okay” Stiles nodded and pulled Allison into a quick hug and pressed a kiss to her temple “Breathe, don't let him see it get to you” He moved away, pulling his phone out in the process

  
Stiles' call of warning wasn't exactly settling, Lydia set the phone down by her books and continued to work on her English assignment (just because people want you dead doesn't mean you should let your grades slip) she glanced up at the moon every few minutes, the full moon was in just over two weeks and it didn't really fill her with confidence knowing that the hunters were waiting for her to slip up, moon rage wasn't something she needed to add to her list of worries thank you.  
At least she could somewhat relax tonight. Scott was at home, Derek and his beta's were probably trying to out-angst one another, Stiles and Allison was at home with there dad- the guy with lots of guns and knows that Stiles and Allison slashed those tires and okay- so Lydia was worried for the twins. But they were together and safe.  
Everybody was safe.  
And then she heard the howl, felt it tear through her gut and call to her. Lydia moved to the window instantly and pressed her hand to the glass and listened, within moments the howl broke through again. Lydia glanced back at her phone, could it be Scott? Maybe he had tried to sneak out, ran into trouble  
She had never heard his howl before, never heard any other wolf howl  
Lydia felt compelled to seek it out, her wolf wanted to find it, to help it. Lydia glanced back at her phone, toyed with the idea of calling Allison, to tell her she was going, to ask for help maybe.  
The third howl broke her, Lydia threw open the window and leapt through, paying no caution to anybody who may be passing by and let herself shift so she move faster

 

Allison was flicking through the pictures of the bestiary on her phone when Stiles crashes into her room, almost pulling the door off of it's hinges as he tries to stay standing  
“Hi Stiles, thanks for knocking-”  
“Not the time for sarcasm” Stiles grabs her hand, Allison was about to protest- there is always time for sarcasm thank you very much “Dad's on the phone and I think he's getting ready to go out”  
“What!?” Allison was already packing up her notes and hiding them under her bed “What did he say? How do you know?”  
“I was going down for coffee and I heard him mention a 'delay' and ask if 'everything is in place' and I saw him put like a giant torch in his bag and-” Stiles was cut off by the sound of the door slamming shut. Allison and Stiles looked in the direction of the sound  
“Oh no” Allison whispered “Oh no no no” She ran past Stiles and down the stairs, opening the door in time to see Chris drive away “Oh god we fucked up. Stiles! Call Scott! I've got Lydia”  
“I'm already on it” Stiles came jogging down the stairs, phone pressed to his ear, he stopped at the last few steps and sat down to pull his shoes on “What do we do?”  
“We go after him” Allison replied as she zipped up her boots “Shit, Lydia isn't picking up”  
“Neither is Scott” Stiles looks up at Allison with worried eyes “Alli, what do we do?”  
“I'm gonna drive- where the fuck are my keys?” Allison looked in the bowl where the keys were normally kept. Stiles leapt to his feet to look at the empty bowl  
“That son of a bitch” Stiles hissed  
“It's fine” Allison threw her phone at Stiles and ran back up the stairs  
“How is it _fine_ Allison!” Stiles yelled up to her, both phones pressed to his ears as he tried to call their friends  
“Because!” Allison yelled back “I made copies of my keys”  
“Why?!”  
“Because I kept fucking losing them and I didn't need another lecture about not fucking losing them from dad!” Allison grabbed her spare set and her eyes fell on the bow in the corner of the room, without hesitation she grabbed the weapon and the quiver of arrows that sat by it's side  
“Whoa, you're taking that?” Stiles asked, eyeing the bow  
“Of course I am!” Allison pulled open the door and shoved Stiles through it “It's hard to protect someone without a weapon you idiot”  
“Where are we even going?” Stiles asked  
“Like you even need to ask that question” Allison slid into the drivers seat and deposited her bow on the back-seat, Stiles had barely buckled himself in when she pulled away “We're going to the one place wolves can run free”  
  
  
  
Lydia slowed down the second she saw Derek and his betas in the area where she was sure the sound had originated and stood up, she let herself shift back. Scott came through the trees a moment later and stopped opposite Lydia  
“Which one of you called us here?” Derek asked looking at them all, focusing particularly on Scott and then Lydia.  
“Was not me, I fucking swear” Lydia held her hands up  
“I thought it was Lydia” Scott frowned  
“Well it wasn't us” Erica folded her arms. The rest of them tensed as soon as she said it  
A howl rang out from overheard, Derek growled and clawed his way up the tree and slashed at something, a device dropped onto the ground, Derek landing firmly on his feet a moment later. Lydia stepped forward to grab the item and frowned  
“It's a speaker” She turned around to look into the trees “Can you guys hear anything?”  
Derek growled and span around, turning his back to the group “Heartbeats, two of them”  
“Two more from this direction” Boyd dropped into a defensive stance  
“It was a trap” Scott muttered, Lydia glanced over at him and nodded solemnly, as soon as she looked back, an arrow embedded itself into the tree next to her, just managing to shield her eyes with an arm as it exploded in a burst of light  
“Run! Stay in pairs!” Derek snarled and Lydia couldn't see a fucking thing, blocks of light coloured her vision, she felt claws dig into her shoulder and yank her sharply  
“Come on Martin, fucking run” Erica hissed  
So they ran, Erica kept one clawed hand on her arm to pull her out of the way of any trees until Lydia could eventually see in front of her  
“Truce?” Erica asked through a breath as she leapt over a fallen log  
“Truce” Lydia agreed, letting out a howl of agony as an arrow followed by two more embedded itself into her back forcing Lydia to her knees  
“Fucking Christ Martin” Erica pulled out the arrows, ignoring Lydia's growl and dragged her to her feet “Wolfsbane” Erica hissed  
Lydia pushed Erica away and kicked off her shoes, designer or not- they wouldn't be any good to her if she was dead, she'd come back for them later. Lydia continued to sprint with Erica taking the lead. She knew they were a good distance away from the rest of the wolves, their heartbeats fading into tiny echoes over the sound of her own thundering heart, Erica's movements scream confidence but Lydia can feel the fear rolling off of her, Erica will deny it to the rest of the wolves later if they survive, and Lydia will let her, because she can no doubt feel Lydia's own fear  
At the end of the day, werewolf or not. They're still scared teenagers trying not to die. Just as Lydia is sure they're in the clear, another heartbeat, clear as day appears from her left, just as she's about to yell a warning as she sees a figure step out from behind the trees and fire, Lydia's hands barely move up to shield her face as she sees a net fire from the weapon and connect with her the ropes digging into her skin as the weights tie themselves around her back, securing it around her body Lydia howls and falls with the momentum, her shoulder connecting painfully against the ground her skin _burns_ and then she can smell it. Wolfsbane. She struggles against the net but her hands are pinned too close to her chest and she can't get them on the ropes. Lydia looks up to see Erica spin and move towards her after realising a moment too late that Lydia isn't following any more and before Lydia can warn her she hears that sound again and suddenly Erica is on the ground with her, caught up in a net of her own  
Lydia can't control her shifting, her claws are digging into her own skin as she tries to escape the trap, her shoulder digging into the dirt as she tries to break free. She locks onto the heartbeat and over the smell of the wolfsbane burning into her skin, she knows exactly who's about to walk up to her  
  
Chris Argent  
And he's pointing a gun at Lydia. Lydia growls against the net and tries to shift back into her human form  
“I tried to warn you Lydia” Chris sighed, and yeah, he seems almost remorseful but Lydia really can't find it in herself to feel sympathy when he's pointing a _gun_ at her “I told you to stay away”  
Lydia feels her heart hammering away in her chest, so loud that combined with the scent of wolfsbane and the agony she's in, she can't really feel or sense anything other than Erica's own fear beside her.  
Chris cocks the gun and Lydia won't beg  
It's just not her style  
An arrow fires from somewhere behind her and connects with Chris' gun just as it fires, sending the bullet ploughing into the dirt in front of her face. Lydia doesn't think she can be blamed for the noise that escapes her lips. Especially when she sees the smoking hole just inches from her face. Chris recovers quickly and pulls out his backup gun and is about to point it at Lydia when someone steps over her, one leather clad boot positioned in front of her chest and the other behind her, pressing slightly into the small of her back. Lydia ignores the way the net cuts deeper into her skin and looks up to see Allison, steely eyed and holding her bow, an arrow loaded and drawstring pulled back  
And pointing directly at her father  
“Allison”  
“Back off” Allison snaps  
“Allison” Chris tries again, firmer this time, Lydia can feel both of their hearts hammering in their chests, she can feel another behind her, smells the person. Stiles. She breathes a sigh of relief  
“It's for your own good” he looks past Allison at Stiles before looking down at Lydia “Do you really think she won't hurt you one day?”  
“For our own good?” Allison laughs coldly “I fail to see how killing Lydia is for our own good” she glances over at Erica “Also Erica, killing her would be bad too”  
“Wow. Thanks Argent” Erica muttered  
“It's our job to kill them Allison”  
“It's _your_ job to kill them. Chris” Stiles steps forward and Lydia feels her bones go cold “Your job. Not ours”  
“Do you really think I won't fire?” Allison asks “Because the way I see it, you have two choices. Shoot Lydia or Erica and I shoot you. Or, shoot me and you've killed your daughter”  
“Which will it be?” Stiles asks as he steps forward  
“I could shoot your bow from your hands” Chris says  
“That won't make me move” Allison shifts her stance slightly, digging her feet into the dirt and Lydia doesn't miss the way she falters slightly, the way she sucks in a breath as though she's in pain “You want her? You'll have to go through me”  
Chris seems hesitant, his eyes flickering between Lydia and his children. Allison steps fully over Lydia and she watches as Stiles pulls an arrow from the sheath secured against her back and begins to use the arrow head to cut at the net still binding her  
“You're going to regret doing this” Chris tells them both, Allison keeps the arrow trained on his heart  
“We'll see about that” Stiles snaps, slicing through the rest of the net holding Lydia and pulling them off of her before quickly moving to work on Erica's net. Lydia pushes herself to her knees but sags against the back of Allison's legs while her body fights to try and combat the wolfsbane  
“Lydia” Allison voice softens slightly “Are you okay?” but her eyes don't dare leave Chris'  
Lydia wants to say yes, wants to say a million things but her entire body is on fire and she has _holes_ in her back from where a hunter shot her with a crossbow and she just wants to sleep, so she shakes her head, feels her head brush against the back of Allison's thighs. She looks up to see Stiles pulling Erica to her feet and supporting her weight “Can you stand?” She asks. Lydia forces herself to her feet and bites back a cry of pain, she sees Allison's fingers twitch around her bow  
“Allison... Stiles...” Chris tries, and he sounds broken, as broken as you can expect a man to be when his daughter is pointing an arrow at his heart while they rescue two werewolves  
“Don't” Allison hisses, she steps backwards and Lydia takes it as a sign to begin walking “Just don't” Allison says, quieter this time and she sounds broken and Lydia wants nothing more than to hug her but she knows, she just knows that this isn't the time “Get your hunters and leave”

  
Allison lowers her bow as soon as they're out of sight from Chris, she slides her arrow back into its quiver, Lydia can her Chris call the rest of the hunters and call off the hunt. Allison's steps are careful and measured and Lydia can see her wince whenever she puts too much pressure on her right foot. Lydia isn't finding it easy by any means either, wolfsbane tipped arrows on their own would slow her down but combined with the cuts covering her body, each one filed with the poison, well, her body was having trouble coping with it all, Stiles seemed to be the most put together one of the lot, she could smell blood on him somewhere, she assumed the result of a tumble through the woods, which probably explained Allison's own apparent injury, Allison stumbled and Lydia moved instantly to catch her, letting out a pained groan of her own as she struggled to take both if their weight  
"Sorry" Allison gritted out  
"Don't be" Lydia replied as she tried to steady Allison but only succeeded in falling against a tree, still clutching Allison as they collapsed under their own weight  
"Put me down Argent, I think we need to take five before one of those two drop dead" Erica slapped Stiles on the arm. Stiles didn't even hesitate and he not so gracefully dropped Erica right where they were standing and ran over to Allison and Lydia  
"Allison, what's wrong?" Stiles asked as she pushed herself away from Lydia  
"Is just a sprain I think" Allison waved a hand dismissively through gritted teeth "I'll be fine" she put a hand on Stiles' shoulder to steady herself so she could move to kneel in front of Lydia who had her eyes closed and her head tilted back against the trunk of the tree, teeth gritted in pain, one knee drawn up towards her chin while the other remained stretched out "Lydia, are you okay?" She steadies herself by placing a hand on Lydia's knee looks over her shoulder to where Erica it's sitting and watches Stiles move towards the blonde "what happened?" She demands  
"She got hit a few times, then your dad showed up with the net" Stiles used his phone as a makeshift torch and held it over Erica's skin and Allison could see the still healing burns. Allison looked back to Lydia who was finally looking back at her, her expression still pained but considerably more focused  
"Wolfsbane" Allison hisses and Lydia tenses, she sees the way Allison's eyes darken with rage  
"Allison" Lydia says and Allison's expression melts immediately, she let's out a sigh and drops her head so it's resting against Lydia's knee  
"I'm sorry" Allison closes her eyes "I'm sorry he hurt you" she says it so sadly, so sincerely and helplessly, Lydia feels her heart clench painfully in her chest, she can feel the guilt pouring off of her in waves and Lydia wants to reassure her, she wants to tell Allison all the ways in which absolutely none of this was her fault, wants to hug her and reassure her in every way possible  
But, she doesn't know how, never has, much less now when there are men with guns and crossbows trying to kill her merely for existing. And this is Allison, everything is different where Allison Argent is concerned and Lydia doesn't know exactly what this is between them, doesn't know if Allison will ever feel for her the way she does for Allison, doesn't know how to even go about broaching the subject. Instead she settles for letting Allison rest against her, albeit awkwardly, and definitely in a way that has to be putting unnecessary pain on her ankle, she looks over to Stiles who is frantically interrogating Erica on Scott and if she saw him, or if she can smell him and Lydia can't help but wonder why Allison isn't worrying as much and how she just seems content to just stay in that position, Lydia isn't thinking about her hand until it's resting on Allison's face and she knows she didn't imagine Allison nuzzle into into the touch before opening her eyes, searching Lydia's  
"It's okay" Lydia says quietly and she knows Erica and Stiles have stopped their argument and are now watching the scene, Allison looks almost shocked at the action, but she makes no attempt to move so Lydia can only take that as a good sign  
"I really hate to ruin this little moment" Erica chimes, Allison and Lydia tear their eyes away from each other to look at the blonde's words gesturing for Stiles to help her back to her feet "but we should probably go and find the rest of the wolves"  
Allison and Lydia look back at one another  
"Can you walk?" They both asked one another, laughing awkwardly as their words overlapped  
"I can take your pain" Lydia offered, dropping her hand from Allison's face  
"I think you have enough of your own to deal with" Allison patted her knee and pushed herself up with a wince, she held out an hand for Lydia to take and Allison pulled her up before swinging an arm around her waist to support her weight and Lydia was suddenly glad that Allison and Stiles were humans so they couldn't hear the way her heart was trying to break free from her chest, Erica was trying (and failing) at hiding her grin and Stiles flashed her a brief look she couldn't even begin to decipher

  
“Stiles! Allison! Lydia!” Scott leapt out of the house as soon as they were close enough and wrapped them all up in a hug (Erica included) “Thank god, I was so worried” He looked between Lydia and Erica “You both ran a different way and we lost track of you”  
“Allison and Stiles saved us” Erica spoke up  
“Are you okay?” Scott frowned at Lydia who had sagged into Allison's arms again  
“wolfsbane” Erica explained “She got hit with a hell of a lot more of it than I did”  
“And you guys are hurt” Scott looked at Stiles and Allison  
“It's no big deal” Allison waved a dismissive hand  
“We should talk” Derek says as he approaches them, he glances at Allison and Stiles “All of us, I have a bandage for your arm as well” he glances at Stiles  
Allison and Stiles share a look before nodding and they all follow the alpha into the house  
  
  
“Oh my god” Stiles groaned, doubled over with his head between his knees, Allison is kneeling beside him, one hand rubbing the spot between his shoulder blades, Lydia can't take her eyes of off the bow and arrows lying forgotten a few feet away “We threatened to shoot our dad”  
“Technically I threatened to shoot him” Allison replied with a smirk, she looks up at Derek and his pack “Did they hurt any of you?”  
“No” Derek folded his arms “They couldn't keep up, Scott did save me from an arrow though” Scott blushed at the mention and shuffled across the floor closer to Stiles  
“Good” Allison nodded “Maybe they'll back off now”  
“Oh my god Alli, what do we do?” Stiles asked, lifting his head up  
“What do you mean?” Allison pushed herself to her feet and pulled Stiles up with her  
“Well don't get me wrong, I’m super glad that we saved you guys” Stiles nodded at Lydia and Erica respectively “But I’m pretty sure that threatening to shoot your father is going to lead to us not being entirely welcome at home?”  
“Oh” Allison paused “Shit” she ran a hand through her hair  
“Exactly” Stiles groaned. Scott smiled sympathetically and rested his hand on Stiles' shoulder  
“Fuck it” Allison shrugged after a minute “We should still go back, at least pack a bag or something in case he does kick us out. Who knows, maybe we can talk about a truce”  
“Are you sure?” Lydia speaks up before Scott can open his mouth “I mean, is that safe?”  
Allison and Stiles shrug at her and Allison moves to grab her bow “Probably not” Stiles speaks up “I should totally have a weapon by the way” he says to Allison  
“Oh my god I have a knife in my glove compartment” Allison clicks her fingers in realisation. Stiles turns to her, his jaw dropping and Lydia and Scott share a look, they know what’s about to happen  
“Since when?!”  
“Like the week after Scott got bitten-”  
“And you didn't think to give that to me before running through a forest of gun wielding, leather wearing ass holes-”  
“Well excuse me for being a bit distracted with running through the woods trying to save Lydia!”  
“I am your _brother_ !”  
“He was pointing a gun at her Stiles!”  
Honestly Lydia stopped listening right then, sure, it was obvious that they had shown up to protect them, but to hear Allison say it, to say she was there to save Lydia?  
She tore her eyes from the still arguing pair and met Scott's gentle gaze, she was also painfully aware of how the rest of the wolves were looking at her  
“Well maybe you should have spent less time playing video games and stuck with learning archery!”  
“Well I failed to see how learning how to go all Robin Hood would have been beneficial to our teenage years!” Stiles retorted  
“It would have helped!”  
“Well it's not like we could foresee having to deal with the most important people in our lives becoming freaking _werewolves!_ Otherwise, yeah, I might have bothered to learn something!”  
“Do they always talk this much?” Derek asked  
“Always” Scott nodded and stepped forward to lay a hand on both Allison and Stiles' shoulders “Guys, breathe”  
“Breathe. Right, I can do that” Allison nodded  
“Look” Derek stepped towards the pair “I'm sorry for how we treated you” Derek waves at Isaac and Erica and looks pointedly at Allison's still healing lip before glancing at Lydia  
“Oh no don't worry” Stiles waved a hand “We totally get it”  
“Yeah, werewolves, werewolf hunter family, we get the hostility you have against our name” Allison adds  
“But you believe us now right? We're on your side”  
“I believe you” Derek nodded. He looks around at the other occupants of the house “And everybody is exhausted”  
“We'll talk tomorrow?” Allison suggested and Derek nodded again  
“You have Boyd's number if you need us”  
Allison and Stiles nodded and they looked to Lydia and Scott respectively  
“Need a ride home?” they asked, Scott and Lydia glanced at one another before nodding and moving to follow the out of the house  
“Martin! Wait!” Erica yells, Lydia gestures for the twins and Scott to carry on and limps back to where the blonde Is waiting “I have a surprise for you” Erica pulls a pair of shoes from behind her back and grins “Boyd found them while they were looking for us”  
“Tell Boyd I said thanks” Lydia smiled, taking the shoes, she watches Erica look past her and follows the gaze to where Allison and Stiles are- inexplicably, fighting again “I think she made her choice” Erica mutters, but when Lydia looks at her she's smiling, she slaps Lydia on the back before walking back into the house. Lydia limps towards where her friends are waiting, Scott smiles at her in understanding as he holds open the door for her  
  
  
  
Scott was dropped off first, his departing words being a “call me if you need anything. Okay?” before kissing everybody on the head, because that's just what Scott McCall does. For the short drive to Lydia's house, Lydia was genuinely worried that Allison would fall asleep at the wheel while Alex Turner's baritone voice filled the silence  
“Thank you” Lydia said once they had pulled up, because honestly, there was so much to say, but it felt like there would never be enough time to say it all, especially not with the way Stiles was watching her putting on a whole other level of pressure, so she just had to hope that those two words would be enough for Allison to understand. Allison twisted in her seat and stared at Lydia for a moment before a wide smile broke out on her face, a smile that felt entirely out of place with how exhausted the brunette looked, but Lydia returned the smile in kind  
“Any time” Allison replies and it's weighted with the same meaning that Lydia had tried to put into her own words and Lydia nods because she isn't quite sure what to do in the situation and leaves the car before she does something stupid like kiss Allison. She walks up the path and looks over her shoulder in time to meet Allison's eye once more, watches as they drive off down the road towards their own homes. Lydia sighs to herself and walks around to the back of her house and climbs up towards her room- she always leaves the window unlocked these days. She closes it and heads to the closet  
  
  
“We totally could have died tonight” Stiles says as he switches off her music, clearly he can only take listening to the same album so many times before he cracks  
“At which point? When I nearly drove into that tree? When you tripped over and dragged me down with you and nearly snapped my ankle?” Allison looked pointedly at his bandaged arm  
“I was thinking more the part where we ran into a hunting ground and then stood in front of our dad while he pointed a gun at Lydia” Stiles muttered “But your shitty driving was a terrifying moment”  
“I was freaking out!” Allison protested  
“Yeah yeah” Stiles waved a hand as they pulled up at the house “Dad isn't here”  
“Did you expect him to be?” Allison asked  
“Kinda?” Stiles frowned “But I am relieved that he isn't” Stiles opened the glove compartment “By the way” He said as he pulled out the knife “I'm taking this”  
“It's yours” Allison laughed “Do we have any leftovers? I'm starving”  
“Really Allison? Really? You're thinking of food?” Stiles made a face, only to be cut off by his own stomach rumbling “Traitor” He muttered to his stomach  
  
  
“Hey Scott” Lydia greets as he climbs through the window  
“You look better” he looks at the sweat pants and hoody she's donned (obligatory full moon outfit, or so she said)  
“I feel it” she wasn't lying, the cuts and burns still remained, but at least the stinging had mostly stopped by now  
“She saved your life” Scott smiles and dangles his legs from his seat on her windowsill  
“Yeah” Lydia nodded and crossed her legs underneath her  
“She said she was there to save you”  
“Yeah”  
“Stiles said we were the most important people in their life”  
“Yep” Lydia nodded “Scott”  
“Hm?”  
“You and Stiles....”  
“What about us?”  
“Do you?”  
“Do I what?”  
“Do you love him”  
“Of course I do! He's my best-”  
“I don't mean it in a best friend way Scott” Lydia shook her head “I mean it in the way I love Allison” She knew there was a reason Stiles' behaviour in the woods stuck in her mind  
“oh” Scott's smile falls from his face and they're silent for so long Lydia has to wave a hand in front of Scott to bring him back “How did you know you loved Allison?”  
“The minute I realised that I would kill anyone or anything that tried to hurt her without hesitation” Lydia stands in front of them and with Scott sitting on her windowsill they're almost of height, and she can see the gears in his head turning over as he processes her words  
“I'd do that for either one of them” Scott mutters “If you weren't there to protect Allison, I would save her for you”  
“And I would do the same for Stiles” Lydia replies  
“Do I love Stiles?” Scott asked. Lydia shrugs and sits beside him on the windowsill  
“Maybe” Lydia squeezes his shoulder  
“But I haven't claimed him?”  
“I don't think you have to claim somebody to fall in love with them Scott”  
“But you've claimed Allison?”  
“Yeah” Lydia nodded “But all I really know about that is that I don't want anybody else to touch her except me” Lydia sighed  
“We really choose our crushes don't we?”  
Lydia laughs and it's caught somewhere between genuine amusement and being completely broken “Crush wouldn't be the word I would use, Scott”  
  
  
“Think he'll come home?” Stiles asked, playing with the knife in his hands while Allison watches him carefully  
“Please stop” She reaches out to still the movements “You're giving me heart palpitations just watching you do that” she turns back to the cupboards and pulls out a packet of red vines  
“You'll thank me, I’ll totally become like a knife master and save your life one day” Stiles grins  
“I look forward to it buddy” Allison stifles a yawn “You put some clothes in your Jeep right?”  
“Yep” Stiles nods “And I put a bag in your car as well”  
“Oh good idea” Allison grins “If he does come back, do we just like what? Pretend to be asleep or something?”  
“It worked when we were kids” Stiles shrugged  
“Yeah, pre-'the two most important people in our lives are werewolves'. Not quite sure it'll work now” Allison frowned as she hopped onto the counter and rubbed her ankle  
“Do you have a better idea?”  
“True” she agreed and yawned again  
“How's your ankle?”  
“Better thanks to Scott taking the pain, but it's still going to hurt for a couple of days right?” She asked  
“Probably” Stiles nodded  
“How's your arm?”  
“Likewise” Stiles held up his arm to show a slightly blood soaked bandage “Could be worse though” he shrugged  
“Well, you know where all the first aid stuff is, right?”  
“Duh” Stiles rolled his eyes as Allison tried to stifle another yawn “You should go to bed”  
“And you?” Allison asked  
“I’m fucking exhausted and no offence, but watching you yawn is making me want to sleep right here” Stiles leant forward to press a kiss to her forehead “Night Alli”  
“Goodnight Stiles!” Allison called after him, watching her brother disappear up the stairs as she chewed on a red vine.

  
Eventually she shoved the packet back into the cupboard and made her way up the stairs. She walked into her room and flicked on the light switch, leaping a mile at the figure crouched on her windowsill  
"HOLYfuckinghellwhat" She clutched her chest as the figure registered "LYDIA"  
Lydia chuckled and shifted so she was sat on the windowsill  
“I needed to see if you were okay” Lydia smiled softly “Also, for a werewolf hunter, your dad's security really is shit”   
“Apart from the fucking heart attack I’m having? Just peachy” Allison groaned and slid down the door until she was sat on the floor, she gave Lydia a once over “Are those sweatpants and sneakers? Shit, I’ve never seen you wear anything like that”  
“Sorry, for scaring you” Lydia frowned and pushed herself off the windowsill and looked down at her outfit “What's wrong with sweatpants?”  
“Nothing” Allison held up her hands “You look good, relaxed.” She said quietly “I like it”  
Lydia smiled softly and walked over to her and knelt down in front of her “Thank you, for saving me. I didn't really get a chance to say it earlier”  
“Any time” Allison waved a hand dismissively, Lydia caught her wrist   
“Don't be so flippant Allison” Lydia growls “What you did tonight was incredible, incredible and brave. And also incredibly stupid” Allison laughs as she pulls her hand away   
“You would have done the same thing for me”  
“In a heartbeat” Lydia replied instantly   
Allison's expression melts into something softer “I know” She smiles “You already saved me from Isaac, and then Erica”   
Lydia bristles at the memory and Allison doesn't miss the action, though she doesn't comment on it. Instead she gets to her feet and grabs her pyjamas, slipping into the bathroom to get changed and leaving Lydia alone on her bedroom floor.   
She emerges five minutes later in an old tank top and a pair of flannel bottoms and Lydia still hasn't moved, aside from shifting so she's cross legged and facing the window, her head snaps towards Allison as soon as she steps into the room and Allison really wishes she knew how to read the girl In front of her. Allison moves to the window to close it  
“I'm sorry you had to choose between me and your dad” Lydia says quietly  
“It wasn't a choice” Allison replies, turning towards Lydia and moving towards her until this time she's the one kneeling in front of her, trying to read the emotion behind those eyes “It was always going to be you. I wasn't going to let him hurt you”  
“okay” Lydia nods  
“I'm serious” Allison grabs Lydia's hands and pulls her up so Allison can sit on her bed and Lydia is kneeling, her arms resting on either side of Allison's legs “I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. And if It came to it... I would have let go of that string”   
Lydia stares up at her with wide eyes and wraps her arms around Allison's waist and rests her head on her stomach   
“Okay” Lydia says again, more sure this time “I won't let him hurt you”   
“He won't hurt me” Allison's hands played with Lydia's hair aimlessly  
“Are you sure?” Lydia asked “You don't sound sure”  
“I'm like eighty percent sure” Allison chuckles humourlessly “Stiles said we should pretend to be asleep in case he comes home”   
“That's a good plan” Lydia nods and stands up missing the contact immediately and moves towards the window “I'll... uh, I’ll see you tomorrow”   
“Wait, no” Allison scrambles across the bed, almost falls off and grabs Lydia's hand “Don't go”  
“But you said-” Lydia starts but Allison shakes her head fiercely and cuts her off,   
“Please don't. Stay, please” Allison pleads   
“Okay” Lydia looks down at their hands and nods again, and she knows deep down that she would do anything Allison was to ask of her  
“You can't leave when I fall asleep”  
“I won't” Lydia pulls away to walk over to the light switch and turn it off “I'll stay”  
“Even if my dad comes back?”  
“Even if he comes back. I'll protect you” Lydia nods and kicks off her shoes (she never thought she'd actually wear these sneakers to be honest) and settles on top of the covers while Allison climbs underneath. She can see Allison frown at her but the brunette chose not to say anything  
They don't speak again, not for a long time. But as Allison begins to drift off, Lydia can't help but notice the way she shifts closer until they're touching, seeking out her warmth.   
Lydia listens to Allison's heartbeat, the way her breathing slows down until she's on the verge of sleep and then Lydia jolts, startling Allison into sitting up and Lydia slaps her hand over Allison's mouth before she can say anything. Allison stares at her with wide eyes as they listen to the front door open and close, the sound of footsteps padding up the stairs and along the hallway. The way they stop outside of the room, and Lydia prepares herself to dive towards the closet at a moments notice, Lydia listens to Chris Argent's heartbeat. Listens to his footsteps move down the hall and Lydia doesn't relax until she hears the door to his room close and hears the springs of his bed protest under his weight. Doesn't relax until Allison's hand closes over her own and pull it away from her mouth   
“Sorry” Lydia whispers  
“It's okay” Allison replies, and begins to settle down into the pillows again, this time lifting the covers and rolling her eyes dramatically “I know you have the whole built in heating and stuff, but get in, you're making me tense”   
So Lydia complies and lies on her side facing Allison. Within minutes Allison is drifting again, she rolls over so Lydia can really watch her this time, she takes in the freckles that decorate her nose- Lydia is sure she could count them all, would happily do it too. The sharpness of her jaw, the space where she knows dimples hide. The way her hair is cascading over her face, Lydia thinks nothing of it, can't stop herself if she wanted to, she pushes the hair behind Allison's ear and freezes when Allison shifts herself closer, impossibly close  
“I didn't want Erica to kiss me” she mumbles and It takes a moment for Lydia to understand the words, to realise that Allison is asleep, or at least, close enough that she may not even remember the words tomorrow  
“Okay” Lydia whispers back  
“It wasn't supposed to be her. I don't want to be Erica's” And then she feels Allison's lips against the hollow of her throat “I want to be yours” and Lydia feels everything _stop_ _.  
_ It takes her a moment for her to realise that she isn't actually breathing and with a shaky breath, forces air into her lungs  
She doesn't dare move for the rest of the night, doesn't dare to disturb the girl against her chest  
She eventually falls asleep to the rhythm of Allison's heart, her arms wrapped around Allison's shoulders and holding her close, and despite the presence of Chris Argent down the hallway, Lydia has never felt so at peace

 


	4. Do I wanna know If this feeling flows both ways?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison freezes in a way that's almost comical  
> “Did I just-”  
> “Did you just-”  
> They stare at eachother for a while  
> “Did I just say the L word?” Allison asks quietly  
> “Lesbian?” Stiles asks  
> “Dammit Stiles” Allison groans “Now Is not the time for a Scott Pilgrim reference”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from "Do i wanna know" By The Arctic Monkeys

When Allison opened her eyes she couldn't hold back the way her heart dropped when she saw the empty space before her  
"I was wondering when you would wake up"  
Allison sat up and followed the voice to see Lydia stretched lazily across her windowsill, one of her books in hand  
Allison yawned and ran a hand through her hair "you stayed"  
"You asked me to" Lydia shrugged and placed the book down beside her and slid from her spot "how are you feeling?"  
Allison made a sound of contentment in the back of her throat and fell back against the pillows "I actually feel pretty good, despite the fact that my dad wants to kill you and Scott and now maybe he wants to kill me and Stiles too"  
"Speaking of your dad" Lydia purses her lips and glances towards the door "he's been pacing downstairs for the last hour,I think he's waiting for you and Stiles to get up"  
"Ugh" Allison pushed herself from the bed and winced when she put too much pressure on her ankle  
"Careful" Lydia sat beside her "what happened last night?"  
"With the ankle?"  
"Yeah, and Stiles' arm" Lydia nodded  
"We were running through the woods" Allison frowned, "Stiles tripped over a ditch, grabbed me to try and steady himself and ended up dragging me down with him"  
"You're both so clumsy" Lydia huffed  
"Hey!" Allison protested "I saved your life remember?"  
"I know" Lydia smiled "I'm never going to forget it"  
Allison stared at Lydia and held her gaze  
"You should probably get ready for school" Lydia said quietly  
"Probably" Allison glanced down to Lydia's lips, her eyes flickered up to Lydia's eyes  
"Allison?"  
"Hm?"  
"Last night-"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you remember what happened?"  
Allison frowned “You mean when Dad came home and you put your hand over my mouth?” she asked  
Something in Lydia's expression changed, it was so minute that it looked like nothing but Allison knew with every fibre of her being that it meant everything. Lydia closed her eyes for a beat longer than a blink and let out the tiniest sigh  
“Yeah” she says finally “Yeah, that” she looks sad, Allison realises, it was the smallest detail, the way her shoulders dropped that half an inch  
“Lydia-” Allison reaches for her before she's even aware of what she's doing  
"ALLISON" Stiles kicked her door open and Allison startles so bad she tried to leap to her feet, only to have Lydia grip her hand to steady her  
"STILES" Allison yelled back "Do you remember that talk we had about KNOCKING??"  
"Holy shit" Stiles muttered, glancing over at Lydia who stared back at him with an even gaze "Hey Lydia"  
"Stiles" Lydia greeted curtly  
"Um" Stiles glanced at Allison, more specifically Allison's hand. Allison's hand still being held by Lydia's (and holy shit she never wants Lydia to let go) "I'll give you guys some time"  
"Dad's downstairs,” Allison says “Lydia thinks he wants to talk to us"  
"Yeah" Stiles nodded "okay, I'll just be in my room. Waiting" Stiles gestured behind him at his room "just, give me a shout when you're ready"  
"Thank you Stiles" Allison sighed  
"Bye Lydia" Stiles waved  
Lydia nodded in acknowledgement and waited until Stiles closed the door behind him before dropping Allison's hand and moving to the window and sliding it up  
“Lydia” Allison stepped towards her, the redhead turned to her  
“I need to go get ready”  
Allison visibly deflated “Lydia” She said again, if not simply for the reason that there _were_ no words  
“I know” Lydia nodded in understanding “I'll see you at school”

  
  
“Okay so allow me to begin the first of my three part apology by-”  
Allison silenced Stiles with a single raised hand “Don't want to hear it” She pushed past him and dropped onto his bed  
“Did she spend the night!?”  
Allison ducked her head to hide her blush “She did and we didn't do _anything_ before you ask”  
“Then what did you do?”  
“We talked”  
“You talked” Stiles made a bitch face  
“And slept”  
“Allison” Stiles sighed “You disappoint me”  
“Wow, thanks” Allison rolled her eyes “Also I had this dream”  
“A dream?”  
“Yeah, basically-”  
“Stiles! Allison!” Chris called from downstairs “Come downstairs”  
“Are you ready for this?” Stiles asked  
“Totally”

  
 "So, about last night” Chris started as they reached the bottom of the stairs  
"Are you going to try and sugar coat the fact that had I not actually shot the gun from your hand Lydia would be dead right now?” Allison asked, moving past him and into the kitchen  
"I don't want an argument” Chris sighed  
“Then don't sugar coat” Stiles shrugged “Tell us what you intend to do”  
“You can both guarantee that none of them have never killed an innocent?”  
“Guaranteed” Stiles nodded “Scott may have killed a bunny rabbit one time, so unless you're a secret PETA member-”  
“No, I’m not.” Chris shook his head “Look, I’ll back off” Allison watches him carefully as she moves back to Stiles, apple in hand “But if they so much as growl at a human, I’ll be behind them, ready to put them down”  
“And know that the second you try, I’ll be there to stop you” Allison replied evenly  
“Does this mean we're still grounded?” Stiles asked after several minutes of intense staring  
“You're not grounded any more” Chris punctuates this by sliding their phones across to them “but come home as soon as you're finished today”  
“Why?” Allison asked  
“Your grandfather is coming into town today, he missed Kate's funeral so he wants to pay his respects and see his grandchildren”  
“I didn't even know we had a grandfather” Stiles whispered, Allison hummed in agreement “Anyway!” Stiles clapped his hands together “Seeing as we are no longer grounded” He turned to Allison “Breakfast? I'm buying”  
“I'm in” Allison practically shoved him from the room  
“You didn't believe a word of that, did you?” Stiles asked once the front door closed behind them  
“God no” Allison replied “Your car or mine?”  
“Mine” Stiles was already moving to his Jeep “I'm going to cut a bitch if I have to listen to the Arctic Monkeys again”

  
“So” Stiles glanced across to Allison “I'm going to go ahead an call bullshit on Dad right away”  
“I hear that” Allison agreed, taking a sip from her coffee “It's definitely a trap”  
“And this grandfather?” Stiles muttered through a mouthful of bagel “Why is this the first we're hearing of him? Think he's a hunter?”  
“Well it's a family business, so you can be pretty damn sure dad and Kate got their trigger happy personalities from somewhere” Allison frowned  
“We have such a fucked up family” Stiles sighed as he pushed open the door  
“Yep” Allison agreed as she got out of the car “You think this guy is going to try and kill the wolves?”  
“Allison, he's got to be what? In his sixties? We could probably take him out by telling him that gay marriage is legal”  
Allison scrunched up her face “What the fuck Stiles”  
“I'm just saying” Stiles shrugged as he walked back “We can totally take him on”  
“We don't even know his name Stiles” Allison leant against the hood of his Jeep  
“Or what he looks like”  
“Shady probably”  
“You need to stop saying that, seriously”  
“I'll stop saying it when it stops being relevant” Allison folded her arms and looked to where students were beginning to trickle into the parking lot and into the school “When did everyone say they'll be here?”  
“They didn't” Stiles replied “We just agreed to meet in the parking lot”  
“Great” Allison rolled her eyes  
“When will you tell me about what happened between you and Lydia?”  
“What?” Allison frowned “Nothing happened”  
Stiles hummed and gave her a disbelieving look  
“Nothing happened” Allison repeated again, but even to her own ears she sounded unsure, while they waited for everyone to arrive she let herself think back to the night before, how Lydia had seemed less like a wolf and more like a puppy, looking apologetic for things that were out of her control, she remembers them making promises of protecting each other and Lydia hugging her, the way she had rested her head on Allison's stomach and all together looking so vulnerable Allison hadn't known what to do with herself, everything was hazy after that. Allison is vaguely aware of Lydia covering her mouth with her hand because she heard dad come home but the rest of the night was more or less a blur  
“So about that dream?” Stiles asked he looked at her expectantly, clearly expecting details but before Allison could give them she saw Scott come peddling in, he chained up his bike and ran over to them, adjusting his bag over his shoulder as he moved  
“Hey, where are the others?”  
“Taking their sweet ass time” Stiles replies with a groan  
“Speaking of” Allison nods to where she can see Lydia climb out of a car and wave to Danny before making her way over  
“Morning” Lydia greeted brightly “Saw Derek and his little entourage on the way here, they'll be by soon”  
“Thank god” Stiles replied  
“So your granddad is visiting?” Lydia asked, glancing at Allison  
“Yep” She nodded  
“And you think he's dangerous?”  
“Look at it this way Lydia” Stiles stepped forward “Last night our lovely father trapped you in a wolfsbane laced net and had it not been for our brilliant timing you would have had a bullet in your brain” Lydia tensed immediately and looked away, her eyes landing on Allison briefly “And then this morning he's suddenly decided that we were no longer grounded and that he would leave you all alone so long as you didn't kill someone innocent”  
“And then factor in the fact that this mysterious grandfather is coming to town today?” Allison added  
“Combined with the knowledge that the aunt we treated like a big sister happily burnt down a house with _children_ in?” Stiles folded his arms “Can you blame us for being suspicious?”  
“They have a point” Scott agreed  
“You know, Dad is actually a really shitty liar” Allison mused  
“Maybe it's intentional?” Stiles suggested  
“How so?”  
“I'm not sure” He frowned “Giving us our freedom back is a good way to take advantage of it to track our movements, trick us into lowering our guards while simultaneously finding weak spots among the wolves-”  
“But where is the tactical advantage of letting us know that it's a play?”  
“A red herring?”  
“So while we're so busy picking apart the logistics of why he would give us back the freedom, he's actually playing another angle?”  
“But what would that be?” Stiles asked  
“Well” Allison paused thoughtfully “Statistically, he has the advantage, always has, he has the manpower, knowledge and experience when all you and I really have are our good intentions and our power as his kids”  
“But for how long can we keep playing the 'we're your children' card before he kills us?”  
“That's the real question isn't it” Allison nodded in agreement  
“What are they babbling about now?” Derek asked  
“Holy FUCK” Allison and Stiles yelped, their hands immediately found each others  
“The inner workings of their family” Scott replied  
“Trust no bitch” Stiles said “Except for you” He nudged Allison  
“Likewise”  
“So that's what you dragged us all here for?” Erica asked “To warn us about your grandpa”  
“And the fact that our dad is apparently backing off of you” Stiles shrugged  
“Which we're pretty sure translates into 'I’m going to kill them but it's going to look like an accident'”  
“Reassuring” Isaac muttered  
“Is it legal for him to even be here?” Stiles pointed to Derek “It seems kinda illegal”  
“You asked us to meet here!” Derek protested  
“He has a point” Allison muttered  
“Who's side are you on!?” Stiles gasped. Allison grinned and shrugged  
“Look” She said “We'll keep spying on our end, but we need you and your pack to be on our side”  
“I already told you last night that we trust you” Derek replied  
“I know” Allison nodded  
“But we aren't in your pack okay?” Lydia steps in  
“I know” Derek nodded “While we would be better in numbers, forcing a pack during a time like this would just cause more conflict”  
“So a truce?” Scott suggested  
“More of a coalition” Derek replied  
“Aren't they basically the same thing?” Scott whispered  
Lydia went to reply only to be interrupted by the bell cutting through the air  
“Don't expect us to eat at your lunch table just because we're all working together now!” Erica yelled as she dragged Boyd and Isaac away with her  
“I expected nothing less Reyes!” Lydia called back “So, shall we?”

 

“How are you feeling?” Lydia asked once they had settled into their seats  
“I feel constantly on edge” Allison chuckled as she doodled something into the corner of her paper, her eyes finally met Lydia's “What about you? You spent the night in a hunters house, did you even sleep?”  
“I did” Lydia nodded, honestly she had slept better than she had since she had been turned, for once there had been no nightmares of teeth tearing through her side, red eyes and blood consuming her “Yeah, I slept well” She blinked herself from her thoughts and smiled “Even with a hunter down the hall”  
Allison ducked her head and laughed and Lydia found her smile grow deeper  
“Thank you, for staying” Allison said quietly, turning her head slightly towards Lydia, her hair still obscuring part of her face  
“You asked me to” Lydia replied, reaching up to brush the hair behind Allison's ear much like she had done the night before, she heard Allison's heart spike at the contact “Yeah” Allison nodded, shifting her face away from Lydia's touch “Did I do anything weird? Stiles says I become a cuddle monster when I sleep but he's one to talk I mean-”  
“You didn't do anything weird” Lydia replied quickly, forcing herself to look away from Allison and write something onto her paper “You may have cuddled” She smirked as she looked at Allison from the corner of her eye  
“Oh my god” Allison mumbled “I'm sorry, I just-”  
“Don't apologise” Lydia turned to face her “It didn't bother me” she took a breath before adding “It was nice, I liked it” She turned away again, she glanced at Allison from the corner of her eye and saw Allison blink at her several times before looking back towards the front of the class, she didn't miss how a blush rose to Allison's cheeks or how she ducked her head to try and hide her dimpled smile

  
“Scott, dude, why are you smiling?”  
“What?” Scott looked away from the two girls in front of him  
“Look at you, you're smiling like a such a dork”  
“I'm happy!”  
“Why? We're in chemistry, there's nothing remotely happy about chemistry. Also people are still trying to kill you”  
“I can't be happy despite that?” Scott frowned  
“No, you can, you totally can” Stiles waved a hand “It just seems out of place” He leant in impossibly close “Did you hear something juicy?” Scott tried not to react, he really did. Stiles gasped “You did! What is it? Is somebody pregnant? On drugs? Pregnant and on drugs?!”  
“Stiles” Scott laughed  
“What did you hear?” Stiles prodded him. Scott looked away and focused on the two girls in front of him while Stiles continued to poke him in the ribs repeatedly “Scott, Scott, Scott, Scott”  
“Yeah?” Scott asked and the prodding ceased  
“Why are you smiling?” Stiles asked again  
“Because, things might be picking up”  
“What?” Stiles frowned  
“You'll see” Scott rested his chin on his hands as their teacher got into a detailed rant over some experiment they were going to try  
  
  
“So I've been told that I owe you an apology” Erica drops into the seat beside her and waves away it's regular occupant, Allison is acutely aware of Stiles glaring at the blonde “So here I am, apologising”  
“Wow Erica, sound more sincere” Stiles muttered sarcastically  
“Look Argent, was I speaking to you?” Erica leant forward to glare at Stiles  
“You bit a chunk of my sisters lip of and you're only apologising because someone- probably Boyd- told you to!” Stiles protested  
“It was Boyd” Isaac walked into the room and dropped into the seat in front of Allison “He also said I had to apologise for trying to claw you open the other day”  
“Isaac, you can't-” Allison began  
“Wow, you really mean that don't you?” Stiles frowned “Seriously, is Boyd the only one of you three with an actual conscience?”  
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Erica frowned  
“Seriously you guys-”  
“It means you both attack Allison and you don't give a shit about it! She saved your life!” Stiles points at Erica  
“Oh my god” Allison sighs  
“And I was going to say thank you! But then you interrupted!”  
“GUYS” Allison half yells, attracting the attention of half of the class  
“What?” the three of them asked  
“You can't sit there” Allison points at Isaac  
“What? Why?” Isaac frowned  
“Because it's my seat Lahey” Lydia appeared in front of him, she made a 'up' movement with her hand and gestured for him to move somewhere else. Isaac glared up at her for a moment before finally relenting, moving to his original seat in the corner of the room “Actually” Lydia looked over to Erica “Switch with me”  
“Whatever you say Martin” Erica muttered under her breath as she got up.  
Lydia settled into the seat and made a contended sound “This is better, why didn't I move back here before?” She mused  
“I am sorry you know” Erica turned in her seat and for a moment Allison saw genuine sincerity behind her eyes “And I am thankful that you saved me” She smirked suddenly “Even though I know it was only a get one free while you saved Lydia”  
“I wasn't going to let you die” Allison rolled her eyes  
“Oh I know that, but your priority was Lydia” Erica glanced at the redhead “I mean you literally said as much at Derek's place”  
Allison opened her mouth to protest but fell short, she must have been sending out a distress signal or something (maybe it was just twin instinct) but Stiles took this moment to interject,  
“Can I just point out we also had the sincere intention of saving Scott?” Stiles points out helpfully, Allison flashes him a thankful smile which he returns “But _he_ wasn't trapped in a wolfsbane laced net” he adds, looking pointedly at Lydia and Erica  
“In my defence I had already been shot three times” Lydia mumbled  
“And I was trying to save your ass!” Erica added “Anyway...” She looked back at Allison “Thank you, really for saving both of our asses”  
“No problem” Allison nodded  
“And I am sorry for you know, kissing you, and biting you”  
“Yeah, still kinda pissed at you for that” Allison smirked  
“Was I at least a good kisser?” Erica winked  
“Not really” Allison mumbled  
“Ah, you wound me Argent” Erica clutched her chest and turned in her seat, laughing as she did so.  
Beside her Lydia let out a shaky breath and Allison turned in time to see her unclench her fists “You okay?” Allison asked  
“Yeah” Lydia nodded and smiled, though it looked forced “I'm good”

  
  
“I wondered where you all were” Lydia greeted Scott, Allison and Stiles “Couldn't find you in the cafeteria or outside”  
Allison looked up from her work and smiled in greeting while Stiles let out a pained sound “Turns out we have a paper due for History” she explains  
“Which is due next period” Scott added  
“And because we spent the night running through the forest we all totally forgot” Stiles finished with another groan  
“Ouch” Lydia frowned  
“Yep” Allison got up from her seat and wondered back over to the books “And a detention is totally not what we need right now” She's studying the books intensely, glances back at the table at the books already scattering the space and Lydia loves the way her brow furrows in concentration as she looks back towards the shelf  
“What's the paper on?” Lydia asks, dropping her bag by the table and following Allison  
“Vietnam war” Allison replies  
“Oh, then what about-” Lydia reaches for a book at the same Allison reaches for the same one and their fingers brush and Lydia swears to god she feels sparks and it's so gloriously clichéd she wants it to happen again and again “Sorry” She laughs instead, pulling her hand away, Allison stares at Lydia for a moment before reaching for the book again  
“Can I read your paper? I might be able to help”  
“Go ahead” Allison gestures

  
With Lydia's help they finish their paper in record time and the group actually have time to head outside to their regular table  
“I feel like I can breathe again” Stiles closes his eyes and leans back  
“Until you think about our murderous family” Allison muttered. Stiles drops his head and pins her with a glare from across the table  
“Yes, thank you for the reminder Allison, very much appreciated”  
“Yeah, I’m sad again now” Scott sighed  
“Sorry that I can't let that little bit of information go” Allison replied, making sure she sounded anything but sorry  
“You're still worried about your grandfather?” Lydia asked  
“Yeah” Allison nodded and looked over to Stiles “Are you?”  
“I'm still holding onto the hope that he's like a harmless old guy who just complains about kids walking on his lawn”  
“One can hope” Allison agreed “But with our luck?”  
“I know” Stiles sighed “He probably wields an axe and kills the kids who walk on his lawn”  
Allison groaned an pressed her temples into her head, feeling the familiar tug behind her eyes as a headache begins to form- from thinking too much, she knows, the stress of trying to work out her fathers plan and plan against it while simultaneously trying to juggle school and her thing with Lydia- whatever that _thing_ is, she still doesn't know but there's a quite voice in the back of her head that’s telling her that maybe the dream she had last night wasn't actually a dream and Allison doesn't know what to do with that information, doesn't know how to process that information. So instead she settles on pushing it to the back of her mind, she still hasn't spoken to Stiles, won't get a chance to until they're alone and she really needs him as a sounding board, it's far too easy to get lost in your own thoughts, but with Stiles, she can just talk mindlessly until she can make sense of her own words, sometimes he'll get there first. It's a system they've lived by for as long as she can remember, whispered secrets in the dead of night, a whole lot of nothings and a whole lot of everything

Allison suddenly wants to hug him, thank him, because she can't even begin to imagine how she would deal with any of this without him being by her side.  
Allison tunes back into the conversation in time to hear them all debating on the portrayal of werewolves in media, Stiles is in the middle of describing some obscure movie about strippers who fight werewolves and Scott is laughing at the outright stupidity of it and Lydia looks like she would rather be anywhere else, Allison shifts forward, resting her hands on the bench on either side of her at the same moment Lydia has the same thought, Allison's left hand brushing against Lydia's right. Allison feels Lydia tense but neither make an attempt to move, Allison glances down at their hands from behind the curtain of hair and up at Lydia who's staring intently at Scott, Scott however, seems preoccupied with watching Allison carefully. Allison arches a eyebrow at him in question and Scott just smiles at her before laughing at something Stiles is saying  
Allison looks down at her hands and decides, fuck it, she moves her pinkie slightly, lets it brush over Lydia's until it falls into the space between her pinkie and ring finger. Allison lets out a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding and lets herself relax, tries not to focus on that tiny bit of contact and tries to focus on whatever obscure movie Stiles is talking about now.  
But then she feels movement and looks down to see Lydia link their pinkies together, Allison looks up at Lydia again and is pretty sure she catches the girl snap her gaze away from her quickly before offering her opinion on whatever it is they're all talking about now.  
Allison can't even find it in herself to pay attention to the conversation around her, let alone become an active participant.

 

They don't talk about the moment, Lydia noticed, much like how they haven't actually actively spoken about any other 'moments' they've shared. The throat kiss she can understand seeing as Allison doesn't actually seem to recall it (she had been asleep after all)  
But there's no denying the way Lydia catches Allison watching her throughout class. It's basic work, a worksheet of questions that was supposed to last for the entire period  
Lydia was finished in fifteen minutes.  
So Lydia had pulled out a book and tried to focus on the words in front of her, but the sensation of eyes on her kept her easily distracted, every third minute Lydia would look across the room and meet Allison's gaze before the brunette would look away, occasionally Allison would hold Lydia's eye and smile before ducking her head and looking back to her work.  
Lydia eventually gave up all attempts to finish her chapter and eventually set the book down, she allowed herself to drift, to listen to the whispered conversations going on around her. She could hear a couple having a angry breakup in the hallway, Stiles whispering to Danny in the back of the room about some upcoming lacrosse game, Greenberg was trying (and failing spectacularly) at hitting on the girl in the seat next to him  
And Allison was still staring at her  
“Lydia” Scott whispered, Lydia looked at him across the room, his head was down “What's the answer to question five?” he said it quiet enough that not even the girl sat behind him could hear him yet Lydia had heard him as clear as day, sometimes being a werewolf was really cool  
Lydia rolled her eyes and muttered the answer under her breath  
“She keeps staring at me Scott” Lydia muttered, dropping her head so her hair blocked her face from any prying eyes  
“I know” Scott replied and she could hear his smile, “That's a good thing right?” Lydia hummed, unsure “What? Is it not a good thing? You spent the night”  
“It's a long story” Lydia replied  
“Ah” She saw Scott nod and knew that he understood, there was little privacy when in the company of werewolves, and Derek's three betas were only across the wall, there was no need to let them in on every detail of their lives thank you. “We'll talk later?” Scott suggested, scribbling in another answer  
“I can't wait” Lydia sighed and sat back in her seat, catching Allison's eye again as she did so  
Five more minutes pass like this, with Scott asking her for help on every other question until they both tensed, hearing a heartbeat moving down the hall, pushing the door open and asking for both Allison and Stiles, the entire class turned to look at the twins who shared a worried glance with one another, Allison glanced over to Scott first and let her gaze settle on Lydia, Lydia could hear how both of their heartbeats increased, even more so when the teacher who had come for them had told them to collect their bags.  
Allison and Stiles moved in sync, gathering their work up in a messy heap and shoving it into their bags with no concern about it's well being and moving across the room, letting the teacher close the door behind them. Scott and Lydia shared a look and nodded, both deciding to listen in  
“Your father called” The teacher explained “Said it was a family emergency, asked for you both to be excused for the rest of the day”  
“Family emergency?” Allison asked, her tone suggested that she didn't quite believe it  
“Yes, he said your grandfather Gerard isn't well and they don't know if he's going to pull through”  
“Oh” Stiles sighs, and she's spent enough time around him recently to know exactly what kind of face he's pulling  
“I'm sorry, I hope he gets better soon” The teacher says apologetically, there's a ruffling sound as though he's patting one or both of them on the shoulder and then she can hear his footsteps moving down the hall  
“Well” Stiles drawls “I call bullshit”  
“Agreed” Allison says “At least we know his name now?”  
“Gerard is totally an evil name”  
“Yeah”  
“Should we go?”  
“We could call dad first? Make sure that Grandpa Gerard isn't actually dying” Allison suggested  
“Fine” Stiles sighed  
Lydia looks over at Scott and can see the worry in his eyes when he looks back at her  
“Dad?” Stiles asks “Is Gerard dying?”  
“No” Chris replies with ease, Allison makes a sound of annoyance, the phone isn't on speaker so Lydia can only assume that the twins are pressed up close, the phone between them “But he wanted to meet you as soon as possible”  
“So you're happy with jeopardising our grades so we could meet a man we've never met before?” Allison asks  
“I am appalled at your parenting skills” Stiles adds  
“It's not a matter for debate, come home now”  
“Yeah, yeah” Stiles says, hanging up as he does so “What a dick”  
Allison laughs “Yep”  
“Should we tell Scott and Lydia?”  
“I have faith that they already know, but I’ll send Lydia a text” Allison says as they begin to move down the hall. Surely enough, Lydia's phone chimes in her pocket a moment later  
 _“Don't know if you got that, but 'Gerard' wants to see us”  
“We heard, stay safe, keep us updated x” _ Lydia replied  
 _“Of course x”  
_ “Do you still think he's a harmless old man?” Scott asked  
“I'm beginning to have my doubts” Lydia frowned

 

“Stiles” Allison frowned “Why are we stopping?”  
Stiles made a point of turning off the ignition before twisting in his seat to face Allison  
“We're having our talk because this is probably the only real chance we might have before the next load of shit comes flying our way and I can tell you're getting a headache from obsessing over whatever it is going on in that head of yours so now is your chance” He leant back against the door “So, what happened last night, between you and Lydia”  
Allison unbuckled her belt and shifted so she could face him “Where do you want me to start?”  
“Wherever you want” Stiles waved a hand “Say as much as you want” He glanced at his phone “But we've probably only got about ten minutes before they start wondering where we are”  
“Okay” Allison nodded, so she filled him in, told him every detail from when Lydia appeared on her windowsill to the last thing she could remember before falling asleep  
“That's good though right?” Stiles asked “She came by, there was hugging and then you slept in the same bed-”  
“But she asked me this morning if I remembered”  
“Remembered what?”  
“That was the thing” Allison frowned “I didn't know”  
“Do you think you cuddled her? Because you know you turn into-”  
“-The cuddle monster I know” Allison held a hand up to cut him off “That was my thought too”  
“But?”  
“But I asked her about it in class”  
“Really?” Stiles asked “What did she say?”  
“That I did cuddle her, but that she didn't mind and that she _liked_ it”  
“This is great news!” Stiles grinned “Why aren't you happy?”  
“Because I don't think the cuddling was what she was referring to” Allison frowned. Stiles' phone chimed with a message  
“It's Dad, asking where we are” Stiles pocketed the phone and buckled himself up, Allison mimicked the action as he turned the engine on and pulled away “So you're worried because you think you did something else last night and you can't remember what?”  
“In a nutshell, yeah, pretty much” Allison nodded  
“But you've been all weird and flirty with each other all day?” Stiles glanced at Allison and grinned at the dumbstruck expression she was sporting “What? Did you really think didn't see the impromptu hand holding?”  
“Whatever” Allison mumbled, turning away from him to look through the window  
“Not whatever!” Stiles said “Allison, you're my sister, I love you but Jesus Christ” He groaned  
“What?”  
“You've been worrying about what you said to Lydia all day?”  
“Among other things!” Allison protested  
“Technicality” Stiles waved a hand “But you guys have been kinda flirting all day right?”  
“I guess?” Allison frowned, thinking back to the way Lydia had looked at her when she pushed her hair behind her ears “What's your point?”  
“My point is” Stiles pulled up to the house and switched off the engine before looking her straight in the eye “It doesn't _matter_ what you said, it obviously wasn't bad, that much is clear, if anything, Lydia's behaviour today tells us that she likes you back”  
“I still need to know what I said to her”  
“But don't obsess over it, you're going to make yourself bad”  
“I hear that” Allison reaches for her bag and catches a glimpse of a man walking by the window “Focus on the matter at hand” She nods “Creepy grandpa who looks like he makes children cry for fun”  
“He's definitely evil” Stiles agreed “Oh well” He climbs out of the car and puts on the fakest smile Allison has ever seen “Let's go meet the family”  
Allison nods at him before taking a steadying breath and following him out of the car

  
  
“We shouldn't be here Lydia” Scott muttered as they walked towards their next classes “We should be outside the house, we should be making sure that this creepy grandpa isn't actually going to kill them”  
“You think I don't want to go and do that?” Lydia asked, pausing at her locker to grab her books “You think I don't want to wrap them both up and take them home with me so they don't have to go back there ever again?”  
“You want to take Allison home with you” Scott smirked  
“And you want Stiles” Lydia reminded him  
“Touché”  
“Look” Lydia closed her locker and leant against it “I get it, you're worried, I’m worried, but they've proven themselves able to look after themselves and each other”  
“I still don't like it” Scott sighed  
“I know” Lydia nodded, “Me either”  
“Martin! McCall!” Erica called from behind them  
“What's up?” Scott asked as the blonde approached them, Boyd close behind  
“Heard your twins have gone to meet the grandpa”  
“You heard right” Lydia nodded “What of it?”  
“Well, me and Boyd have a free now, and we're supposed to be meeting Derek to go check out if those hunters are still at the motel? So if you want-”  
“Erica Reyes” Lydia smirked “Are you offering to help us?”  
“If you're gonna be sly about it I take it back” Erica rolled her eyes  
“No!” Scott reached for her “She didn't mean it” he cast a sidelong glance at Lydia  
“We'll just pass by, listen in for a minute, make sure they're both alive” Boyd explained, Lydia's expression softened  
“Thank you, both of you” She smiled  
“Any time” Erica nodded

“So, Allison” Gerard looks over to her “Your father tells me you're pretty decent with a bow”  
“Oh?” Allison glances over to Chris on the other side of the table, she tries not to let herself focus for too long on the guns, crossbow and freaking _sword_ on the dinner table between them. Allison looks to Stiles, he's sat directly opposite Chris and cannot take his eyes off of the weapon in front of them “Did he tell you how I almost shot him with it last night?” Allison asked, Stiles' shoulders tense suddenly and she knows he's trying not to laugh. Honestly, they had been dancing around the subject for at least an hour now  
Well, it had mostly consisted of Gerard gently interrogating Stiles and Allison on their life and friends while they answered back in the most sarcastic ways possible.  
Stiles' head snapped towards Allison and she merely offered a shrug in response  
“He did actually” Gerard smile and damn, even that was creepy “I know all about your little trek through the woods”  
“Then why are you here?” Stiles asked  
“Chris mentioned your.... reluctance to your heritage”  
“Reluctance?!” Allison and Stiles exclaimed, they looked at one another  
“There's nothing 'reluctant' about it” Stiles replied, using air quotes  
“We're not hunters, it's a closed case” Allison added  
“You're both Argent's, it's your birthright” Chris folded his arms  
“Holy fucking shit” Allison mumbled “What part of 'we aren't hunters' do you not understand?!”  
“You're trying to force this on us!” Stiles added “There's no hesitation, it's a straight up no”  
“Have you ever had to deal with a rabid wolf?” Gerard asked, reaching for one of the guns, Stiles' hand found Allison's under the table immediately “Have you ever had to watch a friend of yours turn and lose control in front of you?”  
“Well, we helped kill Peter Hale” Stiles shrugged  
“And you already know that our friends are wolves so you know that we've seen our friend turn”  
“And have you ever feared for your life?” Gerard asked  
“Funnily enough Gerard” Allison stares at the gun in his hand “The only time I haven't felt safe, is when I’m in this house” She lets go of Stiles' hand and lifts herself from her seat “Now if you'll excuse us. We have homework”  
“If you could refrain from hunting down our friends, that'd be great” Stiles smiles “We'll see you both at dinner” he adds before following her up the stairs  
  
  
“Well” Stiles says once they reach his room “He seems nice”  
“Stiles” Allison sighed “Don't” she pleads as she drops face first onto his bed “I'm so tired”  
Stiles sighed and ran a hand along his head, he takes a seat at the edge of the bed and rubs circles into Allison's shoulders, trying to ease the tension forming “I know” he says “Me too”  
“There was a fucking sword on the dinner table Stiles” Allison rolls onto her back “A fucking _sword_ ”  
“It was a huge sword” Stiles agrees “Think he's compensating for something?”  
“Ew, Stiles” Allison furrows her brow in disgust but finds herself laughing after a few moments of glaring  
“Okay, so we've established that Gerard is in fact here to either brainwash us into becoming hunters”  
“While simultaneously trying to kill our friends” Allison added  
“Oh yeah, how could I forget” Stiles rolled his eyes and moved so he was lying beside her “We could change our surnames, then we wouldn't be Argent's any more”  
“I like that plan” Allison nodded  
“Do you think he uses that sword to kill wolves?”  
“Well it's not for decoration”  
“Think we should tell the others?”  
“Tell them what? 'surprise! We were right. Again, our grandpa wants you all dead'?” Allison asked  
“Well yeah” Stiles nodded “Pretty much”  
“Knock knock” A voice sang, Allison and Stiles both shot up and looked towards the window, Erica waved at them and gestured towards the glass  
“What are you doing here!?” Allison hissed, pulling the window open and yanking the blonde inside, not surprised in the least when Boyd climbed through a moment later  
“We were on our way to meet Derek, figured we'd drop by”  
“How kind” Stiles drawled, lying back against the bed  
“Scott and Lydia were worried” Boyd shrugged  
“Ssh” Erica waved them all silent  
“What is it-” Stiles began  
“What part of shut your mouth do you not understand?” Erica asked, Stiles opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Allison shook her head, instead she moved back and sat beside him on the bed  
“Well shit” Boyd muttered after a few minutes  
“What?” Allison asked “What did you hear?”  
“Well” Erica sat on the floor and tilted her head at them both “Grandpa wants some one on one time with you both by the sounds of it”  
“One on one?” Stiles frowned  
“He'll think we're weaker separated” Allison sighed “And he's right”  
“So he's going to what? Take us into a room on our own and interrogate us?”  
“That's what it sounds like” Erica nodded  
“Divide and conquer” Stiles muttered  
“What does that mean?” Erica asked  
“It's a war tactic, in this scenario we're assuming that they hope that by dividing us into two instead of our regular double team act that Gerard will be able to find our weaknesses, get information on you guys-”  
“It's completely different than what dad has been doing” Stiles interjects “He's been purely offensive, hunting at night and all together taking it into his own hands-”  
“But Gerard is the opposite” Allison stands up and paces the room “Dad wouldn't use us for information, Gerard doesn't seem like he has that problem”  
“But would he hurt us?” Stiles asked  
“That is the question isn't it?” Allison frowned “He clearly has a higher power than dad, so, maybe?”  
“Looks like we may have lost the only card we had up our sleeve” Stiles sighed  
“Seems that way”  
“Okay, well I have no idea what you're talking about now because you're doing your weird twin thing” Erica got to her feet “But it doesn't sound good for you guys”  
“We have it under control” Allison waved a hand  
“We do?” Stiles asked  
“We will”  
“Good” Erica nodded “Because I think they're going to start putting wolfsbane around the house to keep us out, so keep that in mind”  
“We will, thank you” Allison smiled  
“We're going to go see if the hunters are at the motel” Boyd moved to the window  
“Chances are, they've moved somewhere else to give you the impression of leaving” Stiles says “So make sure you tell Derek that”  
“We will” Erica smiles “Good luck kids, don't get yourselves killed”  
“Thanks for the vote of confidence!” Stiles called to the retreating figures, Allison closed the window behind them and leant against it, she let out a heavy breath  
“Okay” Stiles buried his face in his hands for a moment and they took a moment to collect themselves “So, our weaknesses”  
“Each other” Allison answered  
“Obviously, you don't need to interrogate us to know that our biggest weaknesses are each other, so he'll be after our second weakness”  
“Scott and Lydia”  
“We have a winner” Stiles replied, lying back down on the bed  
“But surely he already knows that?”  
“He probably just wants to hear it from our own mouths” Stiles shrugged  
Allison sighed and ran a hand through her hair “I'm gonna call Lydia, update her on the whole thing”  
“You do that” Stiles replied, reaching for his laptop “I have a whole lot of youtube to catch up on”  
  
  
  
“Okay” Lydia sighed “Allison, please don't do anything stupid, promise me?”  
“I can't promise anything Lydia-”  
“Allison” Lydia stopped, Scott walked another few paces before realising she had stopped and turned to face her  
“We'll be okay Lydia, Stiles has my back and I have his, just... Just don't come to the house okay? Tell Scott he can't either, we think they're planting wolfsbane around the house”  
“About time you guys upgraded your security” Lydia laughs, gesturing for Scott to start walking again “But I had cameras in mind, not plants”  
“Plants that are very poisonous to you-”  
“My point still stands”  
“Well, if you want to give them tips, you're more than welcome to leave a message” Allison replies and Lydia can hear the amusement in her tone  
“Pass, they do want me dead remember?”  
“Right” Allison sighs and Lydia mentally kicks herself “I'll keep you updated?”  
“I'll be disappointed if you didn't” Lydia replies, Allison hangs up without so much as saying goodbye and Lydia groans, actually groans  
“Was that flirting I just heard?” Scott asked  
“Or as close as you can get with our lives” Lydia pockets her phone as they continue to walk down the street, Scott's bike positioned between the two of them  
“So Gerard is going to interrogate them?”  
“Apparently” Lydia nodded  
“Will you stay away?” Scott asked  
“I have to” Lydia replied “If I so much as hear someone hurt Allison I’ll probably kill them. Will you?”  
“No choice, I have work”  
“Rough” Lydia frowns  
“Could be worse” Scott shrugged “I'll stop by later? I'll bring juice” He grins  
“Yeah, I’d like that”  
  
  
  
Allison didn't think dinner could get any more awkward, there was no speaking, no talk of school, no questions about werewolves or hunter lineage or any of that.  
Just the scrape of cutlery against the plates  
For a while Stiles' foot had bounced under the table, creating a steady beat that matched Allison's own heart but a swift kick to the shins followed by a glare had silenced it. The silence was filling the room steadily, suffocating Allison and judging by the anxious look in Stiles' eyes, he was feeling the exact same way.  
Allison was pretty sure they were both on the verge of a panic attack  
Allison wasn't hungry to begin with, but she makes sure to take measured bites, chewing slowly and ultimately delaying the inevitable  
“Stiles, can you help with the dishes?” Chris asks, setting down his cutlery  
“I... uh...” Stiles looks down to his own plate and back to Allison “Sure” he nods despite the amount of food still left on both of their plates  
“Allison, could you come with me” Gerard says, he smiles as though it's a question but nothing in his tone gives Allison the impression. Allison sets her jaw and nods, getting up and following him out of the room, on her way she passes Stiles and they share a look

“Be careful” he whispers and Allison smiles as openly as she can and pats him on the shoulder as goes  
  
Gerard leads her, unsurprisingly, to the basement, even less surprising is the table that has been set up in the centre of the room with a chair on either side of it  
It genuinely looked like an improvised interrogation chamber, Gerard gestured for Allison to take a seat, which she did so, albeit hesitantly  
“So” Allison settles into the seat and tries to make herself look as relaxed as possible “Are you going to be good cop or bad cop?”  
“That depends” Gerard circles the table slowly and Allison can't get the image of a shark out of her mind “Are you going to cooperate?”  
“You know, most grandparents buy the kids candy and ask about school”  
“We can talk about school” Gerard stops In front of her and rests his palms on the table, staring her straight in the eye “Tell me about your friends”  
“We do homework and talk about movies” Allison replied, she folds her hands into her lap  
“It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your father to protect them”  
“It doesn't take much courage to point a gun at a teenager” Allison counters  
“They're not teenagers” Gerard stands up and begins to circle again “They're monsters with a human disguise, just waiting for you to lower your guard” He stops behind her and Allison can feel his breath on her neck “And then, they strike” he says it with such force Allison couldn't help but jolt in her seat, his hands grip her shoulders and it signals every warning in her body. Allison forces a breath and clenches her hands on either side of her “But surely, you must know that”  
“I have no experience of it actually” Allison replies, Gerard squeezes her shoulders gently, and it feels like a threat  
“You will one day”  
“So I keep being told” Allison mutters. Gerard laughs and moves to sit opposite her  
“Tell me about Derek Hale?”  
“What do you want to know? How your daughter killed his entire family or how I helped kill his uncle after watching your daughter die?” Allison smiled, her smile grew when she saw Gerard tense, his hands forming fists immediately. Allison couldn't pass up on the opportunity even if she tried. She leant forward in her seat and placed both of her palms on the table “Do you want me to tell you how I watched her throat get torn through like it was paper? How I could have stopped it but I let it happen?” That last part was a lie, there had been no saving Kate, but this was a chance to try and beat Gerard at his own game, try and uncover his own weaknesses.  
She saw something flash behind Gerard's eyes, something dangerous and for a moment Allison feared for her well being, as quick as It came however, it was gone. Gerard leant forward and smiled again  
“Tell me about his betas, Erica, Boyd and Isaac, what do you know about them?”  
  
  
Stiles tried to focus on the dishes, he really did. He washed everything carefully and precisely and made good use of the bubbles in the sink to hide the way his hands trembled  
Honestly, it was a miracle he hadn't dropped anything yet, he glances over to where Chris is sat at the island, sharpening knives casually, their eyes meet so Stiles clears his throat and glances at the clock before going back to the dishes  
They've been down there for over twenty minutes  
Stiles has been washing dishes for twenty minutes and- yep his hands look like prunes  
“I think those dishes are clean enough” Chris remarks  
“I think that knife is sharp enough” Stiles retorts, drying his hands on a towel before grabbing a plate and beginning to dry it. Chris hums from behind him but says nothing more  
Stiles wonders how Allison is doing, he hadn't seen Gerard take any weapons down to the basement with them and he hasn't heard anything so he's pretty sure Allison is alive at the very least  
“Can I go to my room?” Stiles asks once he's done  
Chris looks up from the gun he's cleaning and Stiles can't help but think it's inappropriate to have weapons in the kitchen (and on the dinner table while he's at it)  
“Okay, but come down when I call you”  
“Yeah, yeah, for the questioning I know” Stiles rolls his eyes and hopes his sarcasm is a good enough mask for the terror in his chest  
He really doesn't think it's enough  
  
  
“Tell me about Lydia”  
“What is there to tell?” Allison asks  
“You shot the gun from your fathers hand to protect her”  
“So?”  
“So that has to mean something”  
“It means I didn't want to watch my best friend die”  
“I thought Scott was your best friend?”  
“A girl can't have two best friends?”  
“Were you and Scott ever together... Romantically?” Gerard asks and Allison laughs, honestly laughs, she laughs so hard she can barely breathe  
“Me and Scott?” She gasps “Never”  
“Never?”  
“Never” Allison shakes her head “He's like a brother to me”  
“And Lydia?”  
“My best friend”  
Gerard nods slowly, seemingly satisfied and leave it to him to not consider the possibility of Allison wanting to be with Lydia 'romantically' as he put it  
For the first time in the last few hours Allison feels herself relax  
“You can go” Gerard sits back  
“That's it?” Allison asks  
“That's it”  
Well, that was anticlimactic to say the least  
“Okay then” Allison muttered, pushing herself to her feet and making her way up to the stairs  
“Make sure you send Stiles down” Gerard calls to her  
She doesn't say a word to Chris as she passes him in the living room, instead she walks up the stairs and knocks on Stiles' room  
“Oh thank god you're alive” He pulls her into a bone crushing hug “What did he say?”  
“He asked about the wolves, started with Derek ended on Lydia”  
“He didn't mention me?” Stiles actually looked hurt  
“Did he have to?” Allison asked “He's going to do the same to you now”  
“Oh shit” Stiles took a deep breath “What does he do?”  
“He circles you, like a shark, breathes down your neck and shit”  
“Oh great”  
“Just focus on your reactions, take your time”  
“How did you respond?”  
“As sarcastically as possible to be honest”  
“I like that method” Stiles nodded, holding his fist out, Allison rolled her eyes and bumped her own against his “I'll see you on the other side”  
“Yeah you will” Allison replied, pressing a kiss to his temple as he left the room  
  
  
“Calm down Stiles, I’m not going to hurt you” Gerard looked pointedly at Stiles' leg which would not _stop_ bouncing, they had been at this for half an hour  
“Sat at a table in the basement with creepy old guy? Excuse me for feeling nervous”  
“I'm your grandfather”  
“Who I’ve literally never met until a few hours ago and Is insisting on talking to me in a basement.” Stiles replied “Also you carry a giant sword, ergo, creepy” he adds  
“I hear Allison was spectacular with her bow last night”  
“She was very bad ass”  
“Why do you think she went to such lengths to defend Lydia?”  
“Because she didn't want her dad to kill a innocent girl”  
“Who's her best friend”  
“We also saved Erica who is definitely not our friend”  
“Then why save her?”  
“Because she doesn't deserve to die because of what she is”  
“A monster?”  
“She isn't a monster” Stiles laughed “None of them are”  
“Are you scared around them?”  
“Never”  
“Are you scared now?”  
“No”  
“Are you sure”  
Stiles hesitated “I'm not comfortable, but I know that if you touch me, Allison will kill you”  
“How can you be so sure?”  
“Because I would do the same thing for her”  
“Like how Allison would do the same for Lydia?”  
“Exactly” Stiles froze, oh shit. Oh _shit_ “We'd protect any of them” he amended quickly  
“So I’ve seen” Gerard agreed “Why is it Allison carries the weapon?”  
“Because she stuck with archery and gymnastics, she's tougher than I am”  
“And you're more emotional”  
“Yeah- wait. I'm not emotional” Stiles frowned  
“You love Allison”  
“She's my _sister_ ” Stiles rolled his eyes “Seriously, are you even our grandfather? Surely you know we're twins”  
Gerard nodded slowly and they fell into silence for a few minutes before Gerard smiled at him, too wide, too open  
Stiles knows instantly he fucked up  
“Thank you Stiles”  
“I can go?”  
“You can go”  
  
  
“Allison” Stiles knocks on the door and like a good brother, waits for her to open it  
“How did it go?” Allison asked, letting Stiles drag her to his room  
“You said he didn't ask about me?”  
“No, why?”  
“Because he asked about you. A lot” Stiles paced the room until he finally settled down in the chair by his desk  
“What did he say?” Allison sat on the edge of the bed. Stiles pulled a packet of red vines from his drawer and pulled a couple out, throwing the rest of the packet over to Allison. He then ran through a detailed explanation of everything that had happened in the basement, sparing no detail as he did so.  
By the time he had finished, Allison was shaking  
“He knows”  
“He knows what?”  
“I thought I had been careful, he knows about Lydia” Allison gets to her feet “When he asked if me and Scott had ever been together, I thought he hadn't considered the possibility of me and Lydia, but- Holy shit, I can't breathe” Allison leans against the wall and lets her head fall back. Stiles watches her breathe heavily for a few minutes while she fights her way through a panic attack, it's only when her breathing evens out does she look at him again “He knows Lydia is my weak spot, he knew it from the start, from the moment dad told him about last night I’ll bet”  
“Allison-”  
“Stiles, I had a dream last night”  
Stiles blinks several times at the sudden subject change “Okay?”  
“In the dream I kissed Lydia and told her that I wanted to be hers”  
“Okay”  
“But now...” Allison is pacing again “It's been on my mind all day, just a small nagging feeling in the back of my head that maybe, just maybe it wasn't a dream and I think I actually said that to her Stiles” She turns to him and runs a hand through her hair “I told her that I wanted to be hers and now Gerard knows that I love her and-” Allison freezes in a way that's almost comical  
“Did I just-”  
“Did you just-”  
They stare at each other for a while  
“Did I just say the L word?” Allison asks quietly  
“Lesbian?” Stiles asks  
“Dammit Stiles” Allison groans “Now Is not the time for a Scott Pilgrim reference” but she's smiling nonetheless  
“You smiled, you have no argument” He points out  
“I love Lydia”  
“You love Lydia”  
“Stiles”  
“Yeah?”  
“Shut up”  
“Right” Stiles nods and watches Allison pace the room again, he watches her do this for several minutes before she stops in front of him “I'm in love with Lydia”  
“So it would seem” He smiles “What are you going to do?”  
“I...” Allison stops short, Stiles watches the gears work overtime in her brain “I think I need to talk to Lydia”  
“What? Now?” Stiles follows Allison into her room and watches her grab her jacket from the closet “Can't you just call her?”  
“It's not really a conversation to have over the phone Stiles, and I can't ask her to come here because she could _die_ ”  
“So you're going to go and tell her?”  
“I'm going to talk to her, whether I tell her is another deal” Allison laughs  
“Look at you, realising your true feelings!” He wraps her into a hug  
“And all it took was a homicidal father trying to shoot her and a grandfather interrogating me in a basement!”  
“Well... Not exactly a fairytale” Stiles laughed into her hair  
“Thank you Stiles” Allison mumbled “For everything”  
“Don't get emotional on me, save that for Lydia”  
Allison laughed into his shoulder “I mean it, I love you”  
“I love you too” Stiles pulled away  
“Will you be okay here for a while?”  
“Totally, I have that knife and everything!”  
“Just don't cut yourself with it” Allison presses a kiss to his cheek and moves to the window  
“I won't” Stiles laughs “Stay safe”  
“I will” Allison grins before doing a flip off of the windowsill. Stiles rolls his eyes and moves over and leans through the space  
“Show off” He mock whispers  
“Love you!” She laughs back and Stiles closes the window and shut her door behind him  
  
  
“I was wondering when you'd turn up” Lydia put her book down as Scott climbed through her window  
“Sorry, the store was shut so I have no juice”  
Lydia gasps “You disappoint me Scott”  
“I know, I know” Scott laughed, closing the window behind him and sitting down on the space “So” He kicks his legs  
“So?”  
“You and Allison today” He grinned “There was definite flirting going on”  
“Was there?” Lydia asked  
“Don't play coy, I saw you both in chemistry and then there was the library and don't even get me started on the hand holding-”  
“We didn't actually hold hands” Lydia pointed out  
“But there was hand touching” Scott sang  
“You seem very happy” Lydia shifted across the bed so she was closer to him  
“Why wouldn't I be?” He asked “Allison clearly likes you and it's about time something good happened” He frowns at Lydia “Which leads me to ask, why don't you seem happy?”  
Lydia sighed “I spent the night at her place”  
“Yeah I got that from chem class”  
“Yeah, well she cuddled me-”  
“Also know that”  
“And then she kissed my neck and told me she didn't want to be Erica's, she wanted to be mine”  
“Oh” Scott's jaw dropped open  
“And she was asleep when she did this so she had no memory of it this morning”  
“So?” Scott frowned “She still flirted with you. When will you just tell her you like her?”  
“Because If I tell her, that means I have to explain the whole claiming thing to her as well”  
“Well you can't hide it from her forever” Scott smiled earnestly at her “You need to tell her”  
“I can't just go to her house now Scott, not with Gerard there”  
“Then call her”  
“I am _not_ going to call her” Lydia frowned “You can't call someone up and say 'Hey Allison, just thought I should tell you, I’ve claimed you which means nobody can touch you otherwise I want to kill them and if you haven't worked it out that also means I love you- okay, bye!'” Lydia rolls her eyes “Doesn't work like that”  
“Well...” Scott looks thoughtful for a moment “It's the weekend and they aren't grounded any more? Ask to meet her for coffee or something?”  
Lydia thinks to herself for a while, it's a risk, Allison and Stiles have said so themselves all day, the entire reason they think they're no longer grounded is so they can unknowingly lead Chris and Gerard to the wolves, but on the other hand, this is Allison they're talking about, and Derek had a point yesterday, it's getting harder to hold back, she wants nothing more than to wrap Allison up and never let her go and she wouldn't even hesitate to kill for the girl  
So yeah, she needed to talk to Allison before she did something stupid  
“Yeah” Lydia nodded “Okay, I’ll tell her when I see her”  
“Good” Scott grinned  
  
  
Allison pulled her jacket tighter around herself and checked her phones, her main and her 'wolf phone' as Stiles had nicknamed them (she strongly suspected he had borrowed the idea from Orphan Black but hadn't mentioned it to him as of yet)  
The streets were empty, the only light she had was from the flickering street lamps overhead

But she couldn't stop fucking smiling  
She was in love with Lydia and yeah, maybe she should have seen it sooner, maybe she should have realised it was more than a crush (honestly, if you're willing to risk your life and shoot your own father, it's more than a crush)  
Lydia Martin, gorgeous and brilliant in every way possible, could make any man fall to his knees  
And Allison was in love with her  
Allison could almost see Lydia's house as she turned the corner, she pulled out her wolf phone to type a message to Stiles, to tell him she had gotten there safely,  
When she felt a arm around her chest and another clamp over her mouth before she could scream, she threw herself forward, driving the heel of her boot into the assailants foot and bit down on his hand, another set of arms grabbed her and knocked her phone from her hands, sending it into the bushes  
Allison opened her mouth to scream when everything went black

 


	5. Wherever you are I won't stop searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So what do you say Allison?” He asks quietly and Allison watches him carefully “How about we talk this through like adults?”  
> Allison takes a deep breath  
> “How about you go fuck yourself” She spits  
> Gerard laughs, low and cold in her ear, “Oh, I was hoping you would say that”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so warnings!!  
> This is pretty much a chapter full of torture and an implied rape threat
> 
> Also the chapter title is taken from "Somewhere" by Within Temptation

 

Stiles wakes up early the next morning and that's a weird enough experience and honestly should have been the first warning sign, after tossing and turning for another half an hour before giving up altogether, there's an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach so Stiles figures that much like most problems, it can be fixed with food, he tries not to think about he wouldn't even get up this early on a school day as he pulls on a hoodie and pads downstairs to pour a bowl of lucky charms  
He hardly gets halfway through before he tosses the rest away  
Stiles tries a shower, he lets the steady stream ease the tension from his shoulders before towling himself off and throwing on the closest pair of jeans and finding a shirt from the back of his closet. He looked at the clock on the night stand,  
7am  
Stiles frowned and left his room, crossing the short space to Allison's and walking in  
“Alli, you-” he faltered at seeing the still made bed “Oh, right” He nodded to himself and sighed, he couldn't help but smiling though. No Allison meant that things must have gone well over at Lydia's  
He went back to his room with the intention of playing video games until she got back, but when he saw his phone he frowned  
Allison never sent him a message  
She would have told him that she at least got there safe, let alone to tell him that she would be staying the night.  
He grabbed his phone from the night stand and rolled onto the bed.  
No messages  
He looked back at the clock, 7:45. Allison would kill him for calling, but he had to know.  
He had to know  
When she didn't answer the first time he didn't panic, she was probably asleep. He took a deep breath and dialled again  
When she didn't answer the second time, the tightness in his stomach increased tenfold  
Stiles realised that she had probably taken both of her phones with her, so he called her main phone  
When she didn't answer he thought maybe it was on vibrate (she had never figured out how to get it to stay silent)  
Oh the fourth attempt he realised that if she was with Lydia, even if Allison hadn't of heard it, the wolf certainly would have.  
Stiles couldn't breathe  
  
  
Lydia blinked several times and it took longer than she would care to admit for her to realise that her phone was ringing, she reached blindly for it and glanced at the caller I.D, frowning when she saw Stiles' name “This better be good Stiles-” She cut herself off, she could hear his breathing coming out in quick bursts “What's wrong?” She asked, sitting up  
“What time is Allison coming home?” he asks, she can tell he's trying to sound calm but he's frowning spectacularly and Lydia feels a spark of panic of her own  
“Allison?” she's already climbing out of bed “She isn't here” his heart rate spikes immediately  
“Oh no-”  
“Stiles?”  
“No, no” She can hear movement on his line, his breathing is getting quicker “Stiles!” She snaps “What's going on?” She reached into her closet for the nearest outfit, jeans and a flowery blouse, it'd do  
“Allison... She” a sharp gasp “She left last night, she was going to see you”  
Lydia froze in place  
“Lydia?” Stiles asked  
“Stiles” Lydia blinked, pulling on her blouse and fastening it quickly “Okay are you sure she's not in the house?”  
“I... I mean she could be? But..” Stiles breaks off again “It's so quiet” he says, his breathing is beginning to slow down  
“Go look okay?” Lydia is already on her way out of the house and she really wished she had her car “Call me as soon as you know anything, I’m going to call Scott and Boyd just in case okay?”  
“Okay”  
Lydia hangs up and looks around, the streets are empty  
She honestly doesn't think that would have stopped her from running while she called Scott  
  
  
Stiles leapt down the last few steps and barrelled into the kitchen, only to find Chris sat there, sipping a mug of coffee and reading the paper in a way that just screamed suspicious  
“Where's Allison?” Stiles asked, no dancing around each other, not today  
“What do you mean?”  
“Cut the shit” Stiles snapped “Where is she?”  
“I don't know” Chris turned the page and Stiles had to clench his fists to refrain from punching him. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being Stiles' breathing clashing against the rustling of the newspaper  
“Where's Gerard?” Stiles asked, suddenly aware of the absence of the older man. Chris lifted his head and met Stiles' eyes “Oh, oh fuck no” He turned on his heel and stormed from the house, ignoring Chris' call of his name behind him. He hadn't even gotten in his Jeep when Lydia picked up  
“Gerard has her” was all he said and as he hung up he was sure he heard a growl on the other end of the line  
  
  
  
The first thing Allison was aware of was the blinding headache, the sharp pain in the right side of her head as she opened her eyes  
The second thing she's aware of is the duct tape over her mouth and it takes everything in her to not panic because she can't _breathe_  
Everything else kinda slips into place from there  
Tied to a chair? check  
Dark empty warehouse type room with bad lighting? Check  
No one knows where she is, no phone  
If her mouth wasn't taped shut she'd probably make a sarcastic comment just to try and relieve herself of the absolute sheer terror she's feeling.  
Allison forces herself to keep taking even breathes through her nose  
In. And out. In. And out  
She forces herself to repeat it until her heart no longer quite feels like her heart is about to explode from her chest   
Stiles is going to realise she's gone. He's going to tell Scott and Lydia and they'll find her  
She looks up at the sound of footsteps and her heart drops  
Gerard.  
Part of her isn't even surprised  
He stops at her feet and crouches in front of her, smiling, he reaches forward and tears the tape from her mouth so harshly Allison can't stop herself from cursing  
“It's about time you woke up” He says  
“I figured I deserved to sleep in considering it's the weekend” Allison replies, she can taste blood and her grandpa has kidnapped her but damn it, sarcasm was always acceptable  
Gerard laughs and places a baton on her lap, Allison feels herself go cold as she studies it  
Metal prongs on the tip and a strip of metal down each side?  
It was a stun baton  
“Why am I here?” Allison asks, swallowing the lump In her throat  
“We're going to have a little talk, you and I” Gerard picks up the baton and twirls it aimlessly and Allison can't get the image of Stiles playing with that knife the other day out of her mind “I'm going to ask you some questions, you're going to answer them and we'll all get along just fine”  
“And if I refuse?” Allison asked  
“Well then” Gerard clicks the switch on the handle of the baton and she clenches her fists as the object comes to life “Beautiful isn't it?” Gerard says over the crackling of electricity “800,000 volts” he lets go of the switch “Very painful” He stands up and places a hand on her shoulder “So what do you say Allison?” He asks quietly and Allison watches him carefully “How about we talk this through like adults?”  
Allison takes a deep breath  
“How about you go fuck yourself” She spits  
Gerard laughs, low and cold in her ear, “Oh, I was hoping you would say that”  
Allison's back arched as 800,000 volts coursed through her body  
Her scream was the only thing she could hear  
  
  


Stiles could barely breathe, Scott was clutching his hand and squeezing it regularly to remind him, to force him to take a breath. They had met the rest of the wolves at Derek's  
"How can you be so sure Gerard has her?" Erica asked  
"I just _know_ okay?" Stiles bounced on his heels  
"How do you know she hasn't just gone for a walk?" Isaac asked  
"I just know Isaac! She's my fucking twin!" He yelled "She would have called, sent a text at least" Scott squeezed his hand again and he drew a shaky breath "I had a bad feeling, but she was going to visit Lydia, so I didn't want to interrupt.." He trailed off and chanced a look over at Lydia, her eyes were cast downwards, wide and unblinking. Her hand was gripping the fragile frame and Stiles watched the wood splintering under her grip  
"Derek" Boyd spoke up "your opinion?"  
"Kate Argent was a monster, Gerard Argent is the object of many wolves nightmares"  
"Would he take Allison?" Scott asked, he squeezed Stiles' hand again "If he thought it would lead him to us?"  
"Yes" Derek nodded solemnly, Stiles didn't miss how the alpha and his betas looked to Lydia as the frame snapped  
"We need to find her" she said, looking to Stiles  
"Okay" Derek nodded, he looked towards Stiles "you said she was going to see Lydia?"  
"Yeah"  
"So we start there" Lydia nodded to herself  
"Do you have anything that smells like her?" Boyd asked "I'm not familiar with her scent"  
"Yeah" stiles pointed a thumb towards the door "we've been keeping a bag of clothes in each others car"  
"Get it" Derek said, watching as Lydia pushed past them all and left the house  
"Should someone go with her?" Scott asked  
"Not unless you want her to kill you" Derek folded his arms "the clothes Stiles. Now. I'll go after Lydia"  
“I'll stay with Stiles” Scott squeezes his hand again   
“Guess that leaves us” Erica nods to Boyd and Isaac “Don't worry” She places a hand on Stiles' shoulder “We're going to find her, I owe her”  
Stiles nods but really can't bring himself to reply, it feels like there's a part of him missing

  
  
The sound is muffled around her, all she can hear is her own blood pumping through her ears, her lungs are burning but she knows she can't breathe  
Breathe and it's game over  
It's been so long  
She digs her nails into her palms just for the sensation of knowing she's still alive, she can't struggle, her arms are pushed too far up her back and being held in place, if she were to move her any more he would probably dislocate her shoulders, her vision is cloudy and Allison can't feel her face, the water is so cold and she can't hold on any more, she gasps  
She thinks she hears Gerard say something, thinks she hears him say enough and suddenly she's being pulled out and the man holding her head under is pulling her out and letting her drop to the knees, hands still bound behind her back and Allison is bent over, soaking hair blocking her view of the men around her as she clears her lungs of the water, Gerard waits patiently until her breathing evens out “Are you ready to tell me about Lydia Martin?”  
“Fuck. You” She grits out  
Gerard sighs, but the look behind his eye tells Allison that the bastard is loving this, he nods towards her “Again” he says and she's being hoisted to her feet again, hand on the back of her head, another holding her arms in place and she sucks in a breath before she goes under  
  
  
Lydia is angry  
She's so fucking angry  
Angry at Chris for letting his daughter be taken  
Angry at Gerard for taking her  
But most of all she's angry at herself, Lydia lets out a growl and slashes another tree, leaving deep, jagged marks in her midst  
She had promised, fucking _promised_ Allison that she wouldn't let anybody hurt her. And now Allison had been taken by a man who wouldn't hesitate in killing her if it meant getting what he wanted  
Lydia growls again, louder this time and swings her claws towards another tree, only to have a firm hand wrap around her wrist, Lydia spins on the spot, ready to attack only to come face to face with Derek Hale  
“You need to breathe” He hisses, pushing her away “You're so out of it, you didn't even hear me did you?!”  
And she didn't, but he doesn't need to know that. So she listened to his advice and took a deep breath, let the smells and the sounds of the forest fill her senses and for a moment she feels her rage simmer down and she can think clearly “How did you find me?” She asked, turning away from Derek and continuing in her original direction  
“Aside from being a werewolf?” Derek asked “You left a trail” Lydia glances over her shoulder as he points to the claw marks in the trees, she's vaguely aware that she had been doing that since she left the house “You can't let this get to you” he adds  
“This is _my_ fault Derek” Lydia snaps “She was coming to see _me”  
_ “Blaming yourself isn't going to bring her back”  
Lydia growls “You think I don't know that?”  
“Then get your act together and focus” he snaps  
  
  
  
They'd gone. “Lunch break” as one had put it  
Allison huffed and pulled at her chains, there was two of them, always at Gerard's beck and call, one was quiet, calm and as a bonus he actually seemed conflicted at watching a teenage girl being held underwater, she tried not to think of him as Derek, didn't want to association of the alpha with what would inevitably be permanent emotional trauma from this experience. The other? He was cocky, young, he must only be in his mid twenties  
She could see Kate in him, violence was a game to him, he had jumped at the chance to be the one to submerge her and Allison knew that between Gerard's lackeys, he would be the one she needed to target if she had any hope of getting out of here.  
The room she was in was huge, they made sure to keep her well away from the windows (which they had covered up anyway)  
There had been some clear thought In choosing this place as their impromptu torture chamber  
The room was completely empty sans a chair and a tub for trying to drown her in.  
She had been pleasantly surprised to find that there was a working bathroom- though she had to be bagged to be taken there and she strongly suspected that she wouldn't get another opportunity. That was fine, they didn't seem too concerned with making sure she ate or drank  
She was chained against a pillar, she can stand and she can sit, maybe even lie if she tried hard enough. But the fact of the matter remained that the floor was made of concrete and she was still soaked from the chest up and was only wearing jeans, boots and a t-shirt  
She pulled at the chains and winced as her muscles protested  
She could survive this  
She was strong enough  
Her friends were going to save her

  
  
“Stiles- shit” Scott's hands were on his shoulders “You need to breathe” Stiles looked pleadingly at him “Come on dude, you can do this, breathe with me. You can do that right?” Stiles managed a weak nod “Okay, good come on” Stiles watched Scott carefully, never once taking his eyes off of him as he guided Stiles through his breathing. Stiles is painfully aware of how public they are, how so many people are walking by and watching this happen. And Stiles can't help but drift, can't help but think about how they're all going about their normal lives, completely unaware of what's going on right under their noses  
They'll never have to worry about their friends being hunted down by werewolves or crazy aunts who burnt down houses for fun while your father cleans guns at the kitchen table and your grandfather  _kidnaps_ your sister and is probably torturing her in a dark room right now and she's probably screaming for help and--  
“STILES” Scott's hands are on either side of his face “Focus on me. Breathe” He instructs, his voice firm, eyes full of worry “You can do this. For Allison” The look in his eyes is apologetic, apologetic for having to resort to Allison to get him under control  
But it works  
Stiles locks back onto Scott, back onto his breathing, watching as he inhales and exhales and mimics the actions accordingly   
It takes an embarrassingly long amount of time for Stiles to come down from the panic attack and once he does, he's exhausted so he just sits upright and leans against Scott right there on the pavement, ignoring the questioning looks of the public   
“Thank you” He says after a few minutes rest and moves to push himself up, Scott's hand finds his and pulls him back down again  
“Not yet, give yourself a couple more minutes”  
“Scott-”  
“It's not up for debate. You're going to sit here and I’m going to go in there” He points to the diner opposite “And get us both milkshakes and curly fries to go because I haven't eaten and I’m betting you haven't either”  
“I...Yeah, okay” Stiles nods after a moment. Scott smiles at him and heads across the street  
Stiles pulls his knees up to his chin and hugs them to his chest  
Allison loves curly fries

  
  
Allison was in the chair again, wrists bound to the arms, feet secured  
She was completely helpless and he knew it  
She was vulnerable and he had only increased that feeling by removing her shirt, leaving it where her jacket lay  
There was a new addition to the furniture, a little tray on wheels that reminded her a lot like the ones you would see in a dentists office, Gerard held a brown leather pouch and Allison already had a pretty good inkling for what was in there. Wordlessly he sets it down on the table and unfastens it, unrolling the pouch to reveal what Allison knew would be there  
Knives  
A shit load of knives  
She just became painfully aware as to why he took her shirt off  
“Okay Allison, we're going to try something new” His fingers trail along the knives and- oh god not the cleaver- he passes over the monstrous knife and settles for something smaller, something more delicate and pulls it from it's space “This is called a devein” He admires the knife, it's probably the smallest knife in his collection and for that Allison is thankful, the tip is so narrow “It's good for swift, precise cuts” He walks over to Allison and holds the knife against her collarbone “Are you going to tell me what I want to hear?”  
“That depends” Allison replies and she can't keep the tremor from her voice “Why me? Why not Stiles?” Gerard removes the knife and regards Allison carefully  
“Because you,” He points the knife at her “You are strong, dangerous, you didn't hesitate to shoot at your father and you're more likely to get in our way. So” he presses the knife against her again and Allison can see the goosebumps break out against it “We break you and Stiles will follow, he relies too heavily on you”  
Allison laughs “You don't think Stiles Is dangerous?”  
“He's emotional” Gerard replied  
“Exactly” Allison smiles and that is enough to throw Gerard off, if only for a minute “And when he finds us, you better run, because he's going to kill you and there's going to be a line of people behind him waiting to help”  
Gerard stares at her and smiles as he draws the blade across her skin  
To her credit, she barely makes a sound  


  
Lydia starts at her own house and makes her way down the block, following the route Allison would most likely take, Derek is on the other side of the street  
They don't know what they're looking for but if she was taken, Lydia theorised that it had to have been far enough from the house that Stiles wouldn't have heard it but also far enough from her own that neither she or Scott would hear anything  
Breathe  
It was a simple order, the body does it naturally, but sometimes it does it wrong. Too much at once or not enough  
It's such a simple thing to have to tell yourself, and be told, methodically. And Lydia had never had problems with it the way her friends seemed to  
Scott had his asthma, but then he was bitten, she didn't really know pre-werewolf Scott.  
She wishes she did  
She never really understood the problems Allison and Stiles suffered with for most of their childhoods  
Never really understand the meaning behind a panic attack, she had only ever heard stories of one of the twins suffering from an attack during the early years, she had seen the way people had whispered about them, not even behind their backs but as they walked down the hallway together, Scott by their side, always by their side. Books huddled close to their chests  
She remembered it being mentioned during a health class she had shared with them a week into high school  
She remembered the way the rest of the class had turned to them, she had turned too, granted, but she hadn't meant it in the way the rest of the class had, she hadn't meant it mockingly, she was curious, if not concerned. She had never spoken a word to Allison or Stiles Argent but her eyes had met Allison's across the room, only for a moment before brown orbs had flitted away nervously  
Lydia thinks that was where the crush began, even though she ignored it with every fibre of her being, more concerned on steadily building her reputation  
Panic attacks remained just a word, facts on paper  
Until she saw Allison suffer one  
It had been the night they had been locked in the school. Jackson had fucked off and left them all to die, escaped at the first opportunity. Scott was insisting on playing hero, Stiles had ran after him and locked both her and Allison in the room together.  
Lydia was having trouble being strong and she had seen that Allison was trying to hold it together for the both of them  
In hindsight it probably didn't help Allison, knowing what was out there, knowing what her brother and best friend were running into. Lydia had watched her pace the room frantically, kicking at the door before sliding down a wall, silent tears streaming down her face and it had taken Lydia a few moments to register exactly what was going on  
She had never seen a panic attack before  
But she had read about it, only in fleeting glances  
But she knew enough to employ the tactics, she had tried to keep Allison calm, tried to get her breathing under control but she couldn't seem to get through to the girl. On top of the panic that Scott and Stiles may actually be dead, factoring her own fear and the fact that Allison couldn't breathe  
It was a train wreck  
Until Stiles crashed through the doors and unapologetically pushed Lydia out of the way and coaxed Allison down  
Lydia hadn't even found it in herself to shout at him for shoving her. All she could see was the tear tracks down Allison's face  
When she got home that night she had googled 'panic attacks' and read about them until the sun rose  
She promised herself to be better if she ever saw Allison like that again  
A familiar smell pulls Lydia from her memories and she freezes  
_Lavenders_   
It's so faint that Lydia is almost sure that she's imagining It  
“Derek” She calls “What do you smell?” She asks when he reaches her, he sniffs around for a moment  
“Leather, exhaust fumes... Lavender”  
“Lavender” Lydia nods “She was here”  
“You're sure?”  
“I know her smell Derek” Lydia starts to search around the area, moving into the bushes. After a minute of searching she emerges, phone in hand  
“Is that?”  
“Her phone” Lydia nods, Derek looks over her shoulder as she unlocks it (Allison really should try a better pass code, using your birth year is too obvious) What she sees breaks her heart a little  
It's a text message, fully composed, Allison must have just about to press send when she was taken  
_“Can see Lyd's house, stay safe! Love you!! xo”  
_ Lydia pockets the phone and sighs heavily before turning to Derek “What are the odds we can follow the trail?”  
“We can't, it's cold”  
“I thought so” she pulls out her own phone “I'm calling Stiles”  
  
  
Allison's about eighty percent sure that her shoulders are going to dislocate if they don't let her down soon, her muscles are screaming in protest  
“I don't know what you want me to tell you” She mutters  
“It's very easy Allison” Gerard brushes the baton along her stomach and she tenses immediately, though the shock doesn't come “The wolves. What are their anchors?”  
“I don't  _know_ ” She says, and she isn't lying, it's only Scott's she knows (herself and Stiles, it was a very flattering revelation)  
She didn't even know Lydia's, the redhead had refused to tell her. Allison hadn't even been present during Lydia's first moon, as per Scott and Lydia's request. Gerard sighs and flicks the switch and Allison doesn't even scream this time, her voice gets caught in her throat as her muscles constrict and the skin burns as he leaves the baton there for a few moments too long  
“How long can you keep this up Allison? How long until you break?” He asks, shocking her again  
Allison is about to reply when one of the hunters walks in, glances at her and waiting for Gerard to look at him before speaking  
“The wolves and the brother are looking for her” he says “Do we engage?”  
“No” Gerard smiles  
“They're going to come for me you know” Allison tells him. She gets to feel triumphant for all of two seconds before Gerard laughs and turns back to her as the other hunter walks away “Good” He smiles, wide and terrifying and Allison can't help the small space that escapes her lips as it all begins to snap into place  


  
Lydia is sat on the hood of Derek's car sipping a coffee half-heartedly while watching Stiles pace in front of her, opposite her she can see Scott, watching Stiles as carefully as she is  
Compared to Stiles, Lydia currently looks like the model image of control. All they could really do was watch him move. Scott had tried to make him eat but Stiles had steadfastly refused, instead focused more on the phone cupped tightly in his hands  
Derek approached her, his betas close behind, he casts a cautionary glance at Stiles and gives her the same look  
“So we're pretty sure that we're being watched by hunters” Stiles freezes at the alphas words  
“Then what are you waiting for? Kick their leather clad asses and find my sister!”  
“Stiles-” Scott pushes off of his Jeep and reaches out for him  
“No!” Stiles jerks away from Scott “Why aren't you guys taking them on?”  
“If we do that they'll kill us” Erica states  
“If we don't they'll kill Allison” Stiles snaps  
Lydia looks over to Scott who seems to be sending her a pleading look so she slides off of Derek's car and takes careful, measured steps towards Stiles  
“We're going to find her Stiles” She says “But if we attack the hunters they'll come down on us twice as hard and it's only going to slow us down”  
“You don't get an opinion Lydia” Stiles hisses, twisting to face her  
“Stiles” Lydia sighs and everybody, including Stiles himself by the look of it, was caught off guard when his fist connected sharply with her jaw, sending her back a few paces “It's your fault!” He yells “She was going to see you!”  
She growls and feels her vision shift and it takes everything she has not to claw his face off, friend or not, the only thought that was holding her back was the fact that he's Allison's brother  
But he's also right, had Allison not gone out, she probably would still be with them right now.  
Lydia meets Stiles' gaze, watches how Scott strategically positions himself between them, Derek matching his stance, both prepared if she goes off the rails. Instead, she spits a mouthful of blood to the ground, already feeling her lip healing and forces air into her lungs  
She really never gave Stiles or Allison enough credit for coping with their panic attacks, it's a bad comparison really, she know she isn't having a panic attack. But her heart is beating so fast she's convinced that it'll cave under the pressure and the wolf within wants to break out and  _run_ and she running overtime trying to keep herself from killing someone  
Stiles turns and gets into his Jeep and nobody bothers to stop him  
“What do we do now?” Boyd asked  
Lydia looks at Scott and nods “We keep looking, you guys stay together”  
“And Stiles?” Derek asked  
“We've got Stiles” Scott replied before jogging after Stiles  
“Have you got this?” Derek turned to Lydia  
“I don't know” She replied honestly as she walked past him to follow Scott

 

  
“Where do you think he's going?” Scott asks once she's caught up to him  
“Home” Lydia answered easily  
“You're sure?”  
“Yeah” She nodded “Scott?”  
“Hm?”  
“Has Stiles told you... Has he said _why_ Allison was coming to see me?”  
Scott shook his head “No he hasn't, he hasn't spoken much” Scott sighs and Lydia can see how exhausted he already looks “Why do you think she was going to see you?”  
Lydia sighs “I don't know”  
  
  
He doesn't know exactly how long he's been sat in his driveway, but he's parked right next to Allison's car and Stiles can't stop staring at her phone in his hand, more specifically the photo Allison had set as the background, it's a few months old so he assumes that she transferred it over when they got their main phones back from their father. It had been the day after Lydia's first moon and Scott had insisted that they all go out to celebrate, but they lived in beacon hills- the amount of things to do were limited so a trip to the bowling alley had been the only real option, wolves vs humans and Scott and Lydia had absolutely destroyed them.  
The picture was of the four of them, taken before everything went to shit, Stiles and Allison in the centre, Scott, arm wrapped around Stiles and Lydia pressed close against Allison. Stiles punched the steering wheel, they looked so fucking happy in that picture. He pushed his door open and crossed the short distance to the house and found Chris working in the garage, Stiles made a sound in the back of his throat and before Chris could turn, Stiles grabbed a handful of his shirt in both of his hands and throwing him forward into the rack of guns  
"Where the FUCK is she" Stiles yelled moving backwards enough so Chris couldn't touch him  
"I can't tell you" Chris leant against the rack  
"Why did you let them take her" Stiles clenched his fists  
"Stiles-"  
"Don't 'Stiles' me!!" Stiles snapped "stop bullshitting me and give me some fucking answers!"  
Chris sighed "what do you want to know?"  
"Where is she?"  
"I can't tell you”  
Stiles pressed a fist to his forehead and let out a long breath "fine. Do you know where she is?"  
"Yes"  
"Is he going to kill her?"  
"No"  
"He's torturing her though isn't he?" Stiles asked quietly  
Chris hesitated before replying "yes"  
Stiles laughed coldly "what kind of fucking father are you?" Stiles met Chris' gaze "what kind of father let's his daughter get kidnapped and tortured? What kind of father let's this happen?" Stiles shakes his head slowly "you make me sick"  
"Stiles, you don't understand, this is your heritage"  
"You're not really fucking selling it to me" Stiles spat "how is this supposed to encourage us to want to be a part of your fucking family business!?" He watched Chris carefully and paced the room "why take Allison? Why not me?"  
"We operate under a matriarchy Stiles"  
"Oh" Stiles nodded "and because dear aunt Kate kicked it, you don't have a leader now do you? So what? How is this going to make Allison or me want to follow this? YOU'RE HAVING HER TORTURED!"  
"It's just the means to an end Stiles, you'll both thank me one day"  
"Oh totally" Stiles nodded sarcastically "thank you dad, for shooting our friends and then letting your psychotic dad kidnap Allison and torture her," Stiles stepped closer and held a hand up "by the way, I hope you know the number of a good psychiatrist because you can fucking guarantee we're going to need it" Stiles sighed heavily "you're destroying this family. I hope you know that"  
Chris straightened his body and stared down at Stiles "I think you'll find that was the two of you, choosing wolves over us"  
Stiles finally snapped, lunging forward and relishing in the sound of his first connecting with Chris' jaw, the way Chris' hand covers the skin immediately. Stiles found himself smiling at the shocked expression on his face  
"Stiles!" Scott ran into the garage and froze at seeing Chris, Lydia appeared behind him immediately, Chris grabbed one of his guns immediately and pointed it at Scott, Lydia growled, low and as dangerous as ever  
"Don't waste your time" Stiles shook his head and began to walk towards Scott and Lydia "we aren't staying" as soon as he reaches Scott, the boy places a hand on his shoulder and it's so comforting he could cry, he looked over at Chris “Just so you know, when I find Allison, at this point I know it's inevitable for her to not be hurt, but I swear to fucking god, if she's broken, these guys will be the least of your problems because I'll put the bullet between your eyes myself" Stiles let Scott pull him from the garage, he reached over to grab Lydia and pull her with them.

 

Stiles let Scott lead him to the Jeep and fasten him in before walking around to climb into the drivers seat while Lydia climbs in beside him  
"How much did you hear?" Stiles asked quietly  
"Got here in time to hear you punch him" Scott replied  
"Good work on that by the way" Lydia added, her nails drumming a beat into the window, Stiles flexes his first and laughs  
"He knows where she is, she's being tortured"  
Lydia growls again "you should have made good on your promise and shot him then and there"  
"It's not like Stiles has a gun, Lydia"  
"Actually" Stiles reaches behind him and pulls something from the waist of his jeans and set it on the dashboard  
"Stiles!" Scott explained, Stiles rolled his eyes and moved the weapon into the glove compartment "where did you even get that?"  
"Grabbed it while I was having a chat with Chris" Stiles shrugged  
"Why did they take her?" Lydia asked, Stiles glanced over at her and found Lydia deliberately avoiding his look  
Stiles sighed and wiped a hand over his face "the hunters operate under a matriarchy"  
"So?" Scott frowned  
"So, that means Allison is the next in line to be the leader of the hunters"  
"And what?" Lydia spoke up "do they think that by torturing her, she's going to want to lead them?"  
"But if she's the leader can't she just order them to not hunt us?" Scott asked  
"It's not that simple man" Stiles shook his head "they've been operating pretty well without a woman in control, Allison is probably just an image, they won't give her the power" Stiles paused thoughtfully  
"So what are you thinking?" Lydia asked  
"I'm thinking that matriarchy is the tip of a very large iceberg" Stiles frowned again  
"Okay" Scott nodded "so you think there's another reason why they have Allison?"  
"Think? I know there's another reason"

  
  
Allison opens her eyes and quickly realises that she must have passed out, her body is on fire and a quick scan shows that she's still suspended but the cuts decorating her body have been covered up with gauze and judging from the amount of discomfort it's causing her she's willing to bet that they've rubbed salt into each cut, she wants to laugh, talk about rubbing salt into the wound  
“What are you doing?” a voice asks  
“I'm trying to get into her phone”  
“...why?”  
“For information, duh”  
“How is her phone going to help?”  
“Well, the boss wants to find all of the wolves anchors right?”  
“Right”  
“And he also wants to see which one cares about her the most?”  
“Yeah”  
“Well, I was thinking we check her messages, see who she talks to or about the most”  
Allison scoffed internally, they had her main phone, they wouldn't find anything on there that incriminated the wolves. She knew she had made a good call in choosing to throw the other into the bushes  
“That's actually a pretty good idea”  
Allison lifted her head slightly so she could see the two men huddled over her phone  
“What would her password be?”  
“She's a teenager, try her birth year”  
Allison winced and made a mental note to change that as soon as possible (honestly, in her defence she didn't foresee two hunters trying to break into it while she was left suspended in chains so she wasn't being too hard on herself)  
“And we're in!”  
“In what?” Gerard entered the room  
“Um.. The girls phone” cocky waved it weakly  
“And why are you in her phone?”  
“Well, we were thinking”  
“You. You were thinking” the other hunter corrected  
“ _I_ was thinking that if we read her messages we would know which one cares about her the most”  
“I've told you, I already have a good indication of who that is” Gerard sighed  
“It's one of these ones right?” Cocky holds out the phone and Allison realises they must be looking at her background picture  
“Yes” Gerard nodded “We just need to see which one breaks first and attacks us to get to her”  
“Well, none of them actually  _know_ where we are right?” the other hunter asks  
“We don't think so, no” Gerard replied  
“Well” Cocky speaks up “This phone has Skype”  
“What does that mean?” Gerard frowned  
Cocky looks up and grins when he sees Allison “It means we put on a little show for your wolves”  
  
  
“Okay” Scott bit into his slice of pizza and glanced over to where Stiles' and Lydia's lay untouched “So where haven't we checked yet?”  
“Mostly down town” Derek replied  
“Did you know this town is like eighty percent just abandoned buildings? What is the deal with that?” Erica frowned, looking to Boyd for suggestions, who merely shrugged  
“I say we kill them all” Lydia says simply “Find the weakest one and torture  _them_ until they give Allison back”  
“I like that idea” Stiles nodded from beside her  
“Guys...” Scott protests weakly  
“What? I have a gun, I have a knife, I'll take them on. That way it's not an attack or declaration of war on hunters. It's just murder” Scott can't help but stare at Stiles, it's not necessarily the fact that he had said, it was the way he said it  _just_ murder, as though it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience, it's not that Scott doesn't get it, he does, he really  _really_ does, this is Allison they're talking about and Scott would fight for her. But Stiles and Lydia are contemplating murder and Scott isn't sure he can agree with that  
But he also realises that he might not have a choice in the matter  
  
Stiles is (unsurprisingly) the last to react to the familiar sound of the Skype ringtone coming from Scott's room. Scott met Stiles' gaze and scrambled to his feet, running past them all and up the stairs, Stiles glanced around the rest of them before they were all getting up, Lydia dragged Stiles up  
“Scott what is it?” Derek asked once they reached his room  
“I only have two contacts in my Skype” Scott said quietly, Stiles pushed past the rest of them and grabbed his shoulder to steady himself as he looked at the name of the person calling “Allison” Scott said, Stiles felt rather than saw Lydia appear by his side  
“It's not going to be Allison” Stiles muttered “It's going to be Gerard”  
“Do I answer?” Scott asked  
“Record the call” Stiles forced himself to remember how to breathe. Scott nodded and set up the software, the sound of the ringtone filling the silence of the group  
“Why do you have Skype recording software?” Erica asked  
“Because the conversations I have with Stiles and Allison cheer me up” Scott replied. He glanced to Stiles “You ready?”  
Stiles swallowed thickly and nodded, he didn't dare look at Lydia  
The first thing Stiles saw was Gerard, too close to the screen (there was still a part of Stiles that wanted to make an old person joke) but then Allison came into focus, sat in a simple wooden chair, head bowed over, dark hair covering her face. In the dim light he could see the tears and blood on her shirt, two men stood towering above her  
“Oh good! You're all here, Stiles, how are you?”  
“You sick son of a bitch” Stiles hissed “LET HER GO”  
Gerard laughs “Always so emotional”  
“Fuck you” Stiles replies, Lydia growls next to him  
Gerard waves a finger “Now now, I won't stand for language like that” he looks over to Allison and nods, one of the hunters nods back and Gerard moves the camera closer, the hunter grabs Allison's chin and lifts her head up and Stiles sees Allison's eyes scan over them, he watches as she tries to offer a smile as the hunters fist connects with her cheek, snapping her head to the side, Scott's hand clutches at Stiles' as Lydia growls beside him  
“Allison hasn't been very talkative I’m afraid” Gerard says as Allison lifts her head back up and blinks several times, looking dazed “I've been wondering how long it would take for her to break” the other hunter punches Allison and Stiles can just make out a muffled curse from her lips “We've all been waiting to see who cracks first” the younger looking hunter stops hitting Allison long enough to look back at the camera but all Stiles can focus on it the way Allison is trying to hold her head up, fists clenching and then unclenching as her hands remain bound to the chair  
“You must be pretty fucking weak if you can only hurt her when she's tied up” Stiles says before he can stop himself, he watches the expression on the young hunters face twist into something dark and awful and he's forced to watch as he walks back over to Allison and kicks her in the chest, the force throwing Allison, still bound to the chair backwards and to the ground. Stiles yells and he swears to god Lydia finally makes a sound other than a growl and it sounds like a sob and normally Stiles would be impressed by someone going all kung fu but this guy just kicked his sister in the chest so hard even  _he_ is pretty sure he heard something snap  


  
She's fucking dying. Breathing wasn't easy as it was, what with the perpetual panic attacks and being electrocuted. But being kicked in the chest was a whole other level of pain and Allison is about eighty percent sure she's broken something. She can hear Gerard talking but the words don't register, she's still trying to get air into her lungs and her mouth is full of blood and she's pretty sure she's going to be sick. She feels hands grab her shoulders and suddenly she's upright, her body feels like jelly and it takes physical effort to stop her head from lolling about she finally manages to get a breath in and it's not enough, not nearly close, but it'll have to do. The ringing in her ears fades enough to hear Gerard say something about electricity and Allison groaned, wincing at how guttural it sounded, she felt the tape around her wrists tear off and the pain hardly registered to her now, felt herself be pulled from the seat and chains fastened tightly around her wrist before being hoisted in the air, the muscles in her shoulders protesting under the strain  
“Allison, don't you want to say hello?” Allison lifts her head and forces her eyes open as Gerard hold her phone in front of her face. Scott, Stiles and Lydia are closest to the camera, Stiles has that look in his eye, the one she hardly ever sees but when she does it makes her worry for the person it's directed at. She can see Scott look genuinely angry, for the first time she thinks he might actually want to hurt someone and Lydia, Lydia looks like it's taking all of her self control not to shift and Allison can see those golden orbs flash and the tears that stain her cheeks and she can even see how Boyd, Isaac, Erica and even Derek look disturbed and Allison can't find the words, doesn't think she could speak if she wanted to. Instead all she manages is a weak cough that makes blood splatter over her phone and she grimaces as Stiles recoils and Lydia's eyes flash again and then suddenly the phone is out of her face and Gerard is wiping at the screen with his sleeve and with a face that screams indifference  
“Looks like she doesn't want to speak to you either” Gerard sighs “Oh well” He pulls out the baton and Allison tenses again, can't bring herself to look back at the camera because she knows what's about to happen, she watches Gerard smirk at her as he clicks the trigger and swings and Allison swears she can faintly make out Stiles yell as he baton comes into contact  
  
  
Lydia felt arms hook under her own, another pair of hands grabbed her wrists as she let out a roar from the back of her throat, surging forward towards the computer, the sound of Allison's scream cancelled out all of the sound around her, she couldn't hold back her wolf, she could feel it taking control, she tries to remember how to breathe, remembers back to all of those books, all of those articles she had read after seeing Allison have a panic attack for the first time, over Allison's screams she can vaguely make out Derek and his betas trying to hold her back, can hear Derek telling her to get her shit together, can hear Stiles and Scott yelling but Allison is still _screaming_ and Lydia doesn't understand how they're all still in control because she just wants to kill, she can't take her eyes off of the screen, how Allison's entire body seems to lock, how Gerard just smiles and holds the baton against her skin. He pulls it away suddenly and Allison's body sags, the screams dying out immediately as she swings slightly from her chains, head bowed and Lydia can hear her breathing and Lydia decides in that moment that she doesn't care how it happens, Gerard is going to die.  
And she wants to be the one to land the blow, she doubts Stiles will let her have that honour though.  
“I think that's enough, don't you?” Gerard asks “I'll be seeing you all soon” He smirks and Lydia growls again. Allison lifts her head and looks directly at them  
“Deadfall” she screams as the screen goes black  
“Let me go!” Lydia growls, scratching at whoever is holding her back  
“Pull yourself together Martin” Erica hissed and Lydia looks over to Stiles who is still staring at the computer, mumbling to himself under his breath, he pushes Scott out of the way and pulls up the recording of the call, all it takes is the brief sight of Allison chained up to set Lydia off again “Argent, what the fuck?” Erica snaps “Lydia, fucking _breathe_ ”  
“Deadfall” Stiles says, closing the video again  
  
  
Stiles paces the room, making sure to keep a good distance from where Boyd and Derek are holding Lydia back, her growls are becoming lower, weaker, he hadn't seen what happened, just heard Lydia's roars over the sound of Allison's screams, felt Scott yank him away from her as the rest of the wolves flanked her, presumably to stop her from going on a complete murderous rampage, he looks over at her and is met with shining yellow eyes. He gulps and continues pacing, Scott is crouched in front of Lydia and speaking to her quietly, Stiles nods to himself, Scott is good at that, Scott can calm people down. Stiles keeps running over what they saw in his mind, the way Allison's head had snapped at the first punch, the way she arched when he electrocuted her, how she had sprayed blood all over her camera after being kicked in the chest, but what really stuck in his mind, was the way she had smiled at them before the attack had started, like _they_ were the ones who needed reassuring  
“Stiles” Scott says gently, and Stiles wasn't even aware of Scott standing in front of him, Stiles looks over to Lydia, slumped against Scott's bed and looking broken while Derek hovers nearby, clearly ready to intervene should she lost control again “What's deadfall? Why would Allison say that?”  
“I-” Stiles presses his hands to his head and groans “I feel like I know, like I should know” He kicks at the wall “I need her here, I can't-” he gestures to his head vaguely “I can't organise my thoughts, I need Allison” He looks pointedly at Erica “I need to do our 'twin thing'” Scott grabs Stiles' hand and forces his attention back on him  
“Dude, pretend I’m Allison”  
“That just feels all kinds of wrong” Stiles frowned, not sure why the comment made him feel that way, Scott's eyes widened and opened his mouth to reply  
“A deadfall is a trap” Lydia says quietly, Stiles turned to her and she's staring intently back at him and something clicks inside of him   
“Of course” he groans “I remember Chris showing us when we were kids, teaching us about different ways of animal trapping” He frowned again “Kind of wondering why we didn't pick up on everything sooner” He looks at Scott “What kind of dad takes his kids out into a forest to show them traps?”  
“The kind who lets his daughter get tortured” Erica replies “Can you focus please?”  
“Right” Stiles nods “So deadfall traps, they're basically used to crush the prey-”  
“So why would Allison say it?” Scott asked  
“I don't know” Stiles sighed “It's not the most practical trap, like I said, it crushes, unless...”  
“Unless?” Derek prompted  
“The type of trap is irrelevant”  
“Meaning?” Isaac frowned  
“She's saying it's a trap, she's calling herself bait” Stiles looked at the wolves expectantly only to be met with blank faces and Lydia's glare “She's saying that her being kidnapped is a trap, she's bait and Gerard is trying to lure you guys in”  
“He's had plenty of chances to kill us” Derek folded his arms “Surely this is a lot of effort to go to”  
“It's not just about using her as bait” Stiles shook his head “There's more to it, there always is-”  
“You said they wanted her to be a leader” Lydia spoke up   
“Yeah, a matriarchy” Stiles nodded  
“So what? Torture Allison until one of us comes to rescue her and kill whoever shows up and somehow that's going to make her into the leader they want her to be?” Erica made a face “That's a bullshit plan”  
Stiles hums and paces some more, the wolves watching him silently as he runs everything over In his mind “Gerard is clever, he's probably three or four moves ahead of us”  
“So what's his angle?” Boyd asks   
Stiles freezes in the centre of the room “Oh my god” he presses his palm to his forehead “Oh god”  
“What?” Scott asks. Stiles starts pacing again before turning and holding up a finger  
“It's offensive _and_ defensive”  
“Meaning?” Isaac asks  
“Meaning” Stiles claps his hands together “He's trying to get information out of Allison, what that information is, I don't know. But he thinks she knows something and he wants that, but they also want her to be a hunter, the leader like Kate was” Stiles runs a hand over his head and groans “But he obviously sees her as a threat, most likely based on our stunt the other night in which she didn't hesitate to point an arrow at Chris, so he knows you guys are important to her....”   
“We already established that he was trying to lure us in” Lydia replies and it sounds a lot like a growl and Stiles notices how Scott moves slightly in between them   
“If it was just to lure us in, it would have been easier to just film it and send it us” Stiles muttered, he looked up and met Lydia's gaze “He wanted us to see it, but what If he also wanted to see _us_ ”  
“What?” Scott asked “Why?”  
Stiles didn't break his eye contact with Lydia as realisation dawned on them both “Because he wanted to see who would react the strongest” he says and Lydia grits her teeth but the growl passes her lips anyway  
“He's using her to see if she's our weakness” Lydia says  
“He was pretty successful don't you think?” Stiles glares down at Lydia who looks away, clenching her fists “There's more” Stiles pinched the bridge of his nose  
“More?” Scott repeated, his shoulders dropping   
“He's proving a point to us”  
“What's that?” Derek asked  
“He isn't Chris, it doesn't matter that we're his grandchildren, he'll kill us to get to you guys”  
“You got all of that from 'deadfall'?” Isaac asked, impressed  
Stiles slumped down the wall and Scott knelt down beside him “The curse of the twin thing” he sighed 

 

“Lydia” Stiles approached her carefully, Lydia turned to him, watching as he stopped a good distance away  
“Yeah?”  
“I'm sorry, for earlier”  
“Why?”  
“Because I punched you” Stiles frowned  
“So?” Lydia asked “I deserved it”  
“Nobody deserves to be punched in the face”  
“Except Gerard”  
“Except-”  
“And those hunters”  
“And-”  
“And Chris”  
“Okay” Stiles nods “So a lot of people deserve to be punched in the face, but you didn't”  
“She was on her way to see me”  
“You didn't know” Stiles replied  
“But-”  
“No buts” Stiles interrupted, ignoring the glare he received, he glances over to Scott and the rest of the wolves and can clearly see Scott watching them carefully “It's not your fault okay? We're going to get her back”  
“I won't rest until she's back” Lydia growled  
“I don't doubt that for a minute”  
“Would you be opposed to me killing them?” Lydia asked, she glances back over to the rest of the wolves who are all watching them now “Because I’ll kill them”  
“You can't” Stiles sighed “And believe me, I want you to, but all it does it guarantee your death”  
“They're hurting her” Lydia turns away from Stiles and stares off into the distance “They're hurting her” she says again  
“Yeah” Stiles nods, turning so they're shoulder to shoulder  
“I told her I would protect her, that night when she saved me. I told her I would protect her” Stiles glances at Lydia, sees the way she clenches her fists and takes a deep breath, rooting herself to the moment  
“Do you love her?” Stiles asked  
Lydia didn't even hesitate “Yes”  
Stiles nodded “If it comes down to it,” Stiles says quietly, acutely aware of five pairs of eyes on the back of his neck “you'll kill them to save her?”  
“In a heartbeat” Lydia replies through a growl  
Stiles nods  
“Stiles”  
“Yeah?”  
“Why was she coming to see me?” Lydia finally looks at him  
“You'll have to ask her that yourself”

 

Allison must have started to drift because a jolt of electricity shoots through her, startling her awake, her hands immediately pulling at the tape that binds them to the chair  
“That was a good show” Gerard remarks  
“Fuck you”  
Gerard laughed “I admire your perseverance. It's a strong quality that you don't see in many hunters nowadays”  
“I'm not a fucking hunter!” Allison snapped  
“Lydia certainly seemed... Upset. Didn't she? If I recall she needed to be restrained”  
“I wouldn't know considering I was being electrocuted” Allison spits “I'd imagine they were all pretty upset at watching someone be tortured by their grandfather” she added  
“True” Gerard agreed  
“What's your game Gerard?” Allison asked “You keep telling me that I’m a hunter and then you torture me for information and show me off to Stiles and the others” She leans her head back “What are you trying to achieve?”  
“Power dear Allison, I want power. You have no useful information, that much I have learned”  
“Well I don't go around asking people what their anchors are” Allison shrugged “Sorry to disappoint”  
“You're very calm aren't you?”  
“Are you going to kill me?” Allison asked  
“Your father asked me not to harm you too badly”  
“Oh really?” Allison nodded “How sweet of him”  
“It's a weakness of his, emotional attachment”  
“Yeah, how dare he have a level of love for his children” Allison agrees sarcastically “Clearly not enough to let me  _not_ be tortured but hey” She adds with another shrug  
“You really do make a good hunter”  
“Are you senile?” Allison asked “How many times do I have to say I’m not a hunter before you get it into your fucking head and let it go?”  
“Oh Allison, but you  _are_ a hunter” he stepped closer “You just don't know it yet, it's in your blood” Allison feels her mask crack at his tone and Gerard smiles triumphantly before stepping back “Chain her up” He says and Allison tenses at his tone, how it's different than usual  
  


“You should have let me bring the gun” Stiles kicked a stone “I feel defenceless”  
“You're fine” Scott assured him “You have two werewolves with you, besides, we couldn't risk the sheriff or one of his deputies finding a weapon on you. It's suspicious enough that we're walking around this late”  
“No offence but I would have felt safer with more wolves”  
“They needed to rest” Lydia replied “We need to be at the top of our game”  
“So we're heading down town right?” Scott asked  
“It's where we haven't put enough attention” Lydia replied  
“So we'll find her there”  
“That's the bet”  
“And I don't have a weapon” Stiles frowned  
“I'll keep you safe” Scott smiled reassuringly  
  
  
Allison's knees ached under her weight as they pressed into the concrete of the ground. She pulled at the chains binding each wrist despite knowing for a fact that they won't give, she can't help but wonder at the choice of position they've set her up in, her arms are chained higher than the rest of her body, she knows she could probably stand but they deliberately pushed her to her knees and she knows that one of them are behind her and she feels particularly vulnerable knowing that there's someone behind her while she's chained up and only wearing jeans and a bra. She clenches her fists and forces the thought away as Gerard strides back in, Allison tries to fight back a scoff, he looks as sadistic as ever  
“Tell me Allison, do you know what our seal is?”  
“The fluer du lies” Allison answers easily “God knows why, that thing is used on anything remotely French, you guys are really unoriginal you know that right?”  
“Still so sarcastic?” Gerard laughs “I wonder how long that'll last” He says it like a challenge and Allison forces a smile to try and conceal the dread washing over her. Another hunter walks in and it's one she hasn't seen before- she chides herself for assuming Gerard would only have two lackeys in the building, of course he wouldn't be so laid back, it's only on a second look does she see what he's holding, he hands it to Gerard who she notices is wearing a thick glove on his right hand. Gerard smiles at the hunter and looks back to Allison, holding the item in his hand towards her face and she can feel the heat radiating off of it, she clenches her fists to hide her trembling  
“Tell me what this is” Gerard says, his voice devoid of any emotion, Allison stares up at him and at the object in front of her  
“It's a branding iron” she says quietly  
“And what is the brand on the end of it”  
Allison takes a deep breath “The fluer du lies” She can feel her heart begin to pound and can feel the tell tale signs of a panic attack and forces herself to remember her breathing exercises  
“You're a hunter Allison” Gerard moves behind her  
“I'm no hunter” she replies weakly  
“Of course you are” Gerard places a foot on the back of her calves  
“Gerard, please, don't do this” she feels the heat of the iron against her back  
“Now now Allison” And she can hear the sneer in his voice “Begging really isn't your style” she feels the iron press into the space between her shoulder blades and the scream that tears through her throat doesn't sound human, she feels her body go taut against the chains as she tries to move away, the smell of burning flesh overpowering everything as every nerve signals pain, Allison didn't even know pain like this could exist, she can taste blood in her throat and for a moment everything goes white  
  
  
Lydia stops mid sentence and Stiles can only watch in confusion as both her and Scott freeze in place  
“Scott?” Stiles asks, stepping forward, the boy looks towards him with worried eyes “Lydia?” the girl doesn't move, Stiles can see her shoulders rise and fall heavily in the dim light provided by the street light overhead “Lydia” he says again and she slowly lifts her head, Stiles is met with gold eyes and he feels a wave of terror wash over him  
She looks feral  
Without warning she roars, baring teeth and claws and Scott can hardly spare Stiles a glance before lunging at her, Stiles watches as they roll across the gravel, Scott clearly trying to pin her to the ground  
“LYDIA” he growls “Breathe”  
“Allison” Is all Lydia can manage, slashing across Scott's chest, the boy lets out a pained howl and Lydia throws him off. Scott clambers to his feet and the pair circle one another “Get out of my way Scott”  
“You need to calm down”  
“You _heard_ her” Lydia snaps “I need to get to her”  
“What's going on?!” Stiles yells, causing Scott to look past Lydia at him, the girl uses the distraction to try and lunge past him but Scott is faster, spinning himself to slam into her at the last second and pinning her to the ground, ignoring the way she snaps at his throat  
“It's Allison” Scott growls, “We heard her”  
“Is she okay?”  
“She's in _pain_ ” Lydia snaps back “Let me go”  
“Breathe Lydia, you're letting your wolf win”  
“Good” She growls “Maybe then I can get her back”  
“Lydia” Stiles steps closer, ignoring how Scott tries to tell him not to “He's right, you need to breathe, you need to be in control if we're going to do this, you need to be in control for Allison” Stiles sees her struggle against Scott's grip for a few more moments before dropping to the ground completely, all fight seemingly gone. Scott shoots Stiles a thankful smile as Lydia closes her eyes.  
When she opens them again a moment later they're back to their usual green, Scott moves off of her and holds a hand out for her to take  
“Sorry about that” She gestures to his torn shirt and still healing cuts  
“It's okay” Scott smiles “You good?”  
“No” Lydia answers honestly “But I can hold it together”  
“Are you sure?” Stiles asked  
“Yeah” She nods “For Allison”

 

 

Allison jolts awake, wincing as the skin pulls, the two hunters barely spare her a glance before going back to their card game. Gerard had left shortly after he had branded her, once her screams had faded into sobs he had leant in close, his breath disturbingly cold against her neck as he whispers in her ear  
"Do you see now Allison? You _are_ a hunter, you even have the mark" he laughs "do you think they'll trust you now?"  
He had left after that, left her to the three hunters, one of them had thrown some water on her back, whether they had intended for it to ease the pain she didn't know, but she was thankful for it nonetheless, another had thrown her shirt at her and instructed her to put her shirt back on before dragging her to the chair and wrapping the tape around her wrists and ankles  
She wasn't sure how long ago that was, she was just thankful they had left her alone. Had Gerard been there, no doubt she would have felt 800,000 volts shoot through her if she so much as dozed off.  
She sees now why they didn't bother, the nightmares were torture enough.  
Dreams of Gerard and Chris beating her, drowning her, branding her. Dreams of gentle Scott rejecting her, Stiles turning his back on her and refusing to acknowledge her calls, dreams of a golden eyed Lydia pulling her close, too sharp claws digging into the back of her neck, teeth dragging along the column of her throat as the claws reach the spot where her brand lies, Allison feels the rumble of the growl against her throat  
Allison jolts awake before she knows what happens, but she can still feel the press of teeth against her skin. Allison breathes out a shaky breath  
At least the teeth hadn't pierced  
She pulled against the bindings again, feeling the pull of her muscles, the burn in her shoulders. She knows that she's been scarred for life. She ponders the possibility of hiding the brand from her friends, despite knowing that it's only a matter of time until they would find out.  
If she ever got out that was  
She can't help but wonder about their reactions, she knows that they'll understand, that she had no say in the matter, but the seed or doubt will be forever in the back of her mind as to whether or not that will believe her, if they'll see the mark and wonder.  
Allison's fists clench until she feels her nails break through the skin again, hissing quietly  
She knows with an unwavering certainty that she's going to kill Gerard  
She glances around the room, scanning every surface  
But first she needs to get out or here.  
Her eyes fall on the three hunters, clearly more engrossed in their game than in her and her gaze fell on the youngest hunter, the cocky one, more specifically, the hilt of a knife she can clearly see poking out from his boot. Allison smirks to herself and starts sizing up the the three men

 

"You need to rest" Lydia says firmly  
"No" Stiles shakes his head "not until we find her"  
Lydia shares a look with Scott before placing a hand on his shoulder  
"You need to rest otherwise your body is going to shut down"  
"In not going back to that place-"  
"You can stay with me" Scott says immediately, appearing at Stiles' side instantly "for as long as you need"  
"What about your mom?"  
"She won't mind" Scott smiles "Lydia is right dude, you need to sleep" the three of them look towards where the sun is beginning to peak over the horizon  
"I'll keep looking" Lydia says "I'll go get Derek, we'll get Erica and the others and we won't stop looking and I'll call you the second I hear anything. Okay?"  
Stiles looks to Scott, who nods encouragingly "okay" he says finally  
"I'm going to find her" Lydia says fiercely  
"I know" Stiles nods "I know"  
"Come on" Scott wraps an arm around Stiles and pulls him away, leading him towards where the Jeep is parked

 

Allison has spent the last couple of hours watching them carefully, learning their movements, listening to their conversations, waiting for her chance, feigning sleep the moment one of them spared her a glance  
The third hunter, the one she hadn't seen until her branding, pushed himself to his feet, throwing his cards to the ground and stretching  
"I'm gonna go get the boss" he says "grab some coffee too, you guys want anything?"  
"Get the strongest drink you can afford" cocky tells him  
"You got it" comes the reply, he glances over at Allison briefly "get her up"  
"Yeah, yeah, we're on it" the other hunter says  
"Shame she's Argent's kid" cocky says  
"What do you mean?"  
"She's hot man"  
"She's a _teenager_ "  
"So?"  
"So?" One of the hunters repeats "so, it's illegal"  
"We're torturing her" cocky replies  
"Fucking focus" a hunter snaps "don't even think about her like that" Allison hears a sound that's awfully similar to a punch and Allison finds herself hating cocky considerably more but respecting the other two "go untie her, I’m gonna get the tub ready"  
"Yes sir" comes the sarcastic reply, followed swiftly by the boots against concrete, she forced herself to relax, to let her muscles go limp, she hears cocky move by her and feels cool metal against her skin as he cut through the tape around her ankles and her wrists, there's a pause where she assumes he's placing the knife back in his boot. She takes the moment to just breathe, let's her muscles stay loose, reminds herself not to tense when a rough hand wraps around her left arm and hoist her sharply to her feet, ignores the pain that almost dominates everything else and forces her body to become dead weight, cocky huffs as she drops down, his grip tightening around her arm, Allison opens her eyes as she falls, grabs the knife with her right hand and immediately feels more confident despite being outnumbered. Allison plants her feet firmly on the ground and surges up, breaking out of the hunters grasp, slashing blindly, watching as his knife tears across his cheek, he yells and clutches at his face, Allison turns to run, almost crashing into the other hunter, punching at him with her left hand before feigning right and slashing at him, the hunter had a clear advantage, not only in height and weight, but in rest, he was faster, stronger  
Allison stood no chance  
His hand curls around her wrist, squeezing it hard enough to almost make her drop the weapon, in one swift movement he spins then around, twisting Allison's arm in the process as his other arm presses forcefully against her shoulder blades, he moves her forward and Allison barely has the time to turn her face to the side before being slammed into the pillar, he pushes at her arm, hand tightening around her wrist with such force Allison s sure that it'll snap under the pressure as the knife falls from her hand  
"Are you okay?" He asks the other hunter, and Allison takes advantage of the distraction to rear her head back, her skull connecting with the hunters nose with a satisfying crunch as he broke away, she spins around to knee him in the crotch, Allison didn't have time to react a fist connects with her right cheek, Allison stumbles as a hand wraps around her throat and slams her back into the pillar with such force it knocks the air from her lungs, blinking the black spots from her eyes, coming face to face with cocky, the rage in his eyes sends something cold shooting through her core  
"You fucking bitch" he snarled, pulling her forward and then slamming her back into the pillar with twice as much force and slamming another first into her jaw and wrapping both of his hands around her throat and Allison can't help herself, she laughs at his rage, a weak, breathless laugh as he tightens his hands around her neck, blood dripping from the gash on his right cheek, dripping off of his jaw  
"You're gonna kill her" the other hunter grabs his wrists and pulls him off of Allison and she can see blood dripping from his nose as she slides down the pillars, taking several deep breaths, cocky glares at her and Allison laughs again, pointing at his face "want me to even it out?" She asks, spitting a mouthful of blood to the ground "you could dress up as the joker this Halloween"  
"You fucking-" cocky growls, surging forward and clutching her shirt in his hands and pulling her to her feet, he all but throws her across the room and she comes to a sliding halt next to the tub, he wraps her hair around his hand and pulls her up before pushing her head under the surface of the water, holding her under until her lungs are burning, he pulls her out and throws her to the ground again, leaving Allison to cough her lungs up while he grabs the baton from where Gerard always placed it after he was finished. Cocky flicks the switch and slams it into her chest making Allison tense and scream, he holds it against her chest as her back his the ground, her body arching from the pain  
"What's going on?" She hears Gerard ask and the pain stops immediately, her body collapsing against the concrete as her muscles spasm, Allison hisses  
"She tricked us" one of the hunters says  
"You let your guard down" Gerard replies, cocky glares down at Allison and back to Gerard, he gestures to Allison "pick her up"  
He glares at Allison once more and pulls her to her feet sharply, leaning in close "just so you know" he whispers, low and dangerous "when you get out of here, I'm going to come for you. I'm going to wait for you to let down your guard. And when you do" he grins and ask Allison can do is watch him with wide eyes "I'm going to come through your window and then I'm going to make you pay. Slowly." He sneers "you'll pay for this"  
"That's enough" Gerard snaps "go clean yourself up" he orders  
Cocky stares at Gerard for a moment before smirking at Allison and shoving her away. Gerard waits for him to leave the room before turning to the second hunter who's wiping at his nose with the back of his hand "make sure he doesn't touch her"  
"I won't"  
"We do have a code after all" he looks to Allison  
"How noble" she replies dryly, though she can't quite conceal the tremor in her voice  
"Good to see you have some fight left in you" Gerard reaches for the baton "let's get started shall we?"

 

"You should at least try to sleep" Scott says, perched on the edge of his seat, watching Stiles pace his room. Stiles laughs loudly and looks at Scott  
"How can I sleep Scott? How?" He laughs again and turns away before Scott can see the tears threatening to fall "even if I wanted to, there's no way my brain will let me" Stiles moves to start pacing but Scott reaches out to grab his wrist, freezing him in place  
"What are you thinking about?" Scott asked  
Stiles shakes his head "everything" he says "absolutely fucking everything. Allison, Chris, Gerard, mom. Everything"  
"You can talk to me" Scott says and his voice is so damn calming Stiles could cry  
"Mom died. You know she died" Scott nods, Stiles let's out a long breath, he remembers that day, and all of the days that followed immediately after "they always said suicide, depression, all of that" Stiles blinks back flashes of memories, memories of his first panic attack, how Allison had clutched him close and cried because she thought she was losing her brother as well, memories of how Allison had suffered her first panic attack a few days later while watching her coffin descend into the ground  
Memories of wide eyed Scott sitting between them in the corner of the room, arms wrapped around them both and holding them close  
"You don't think it's like that" Scott says  
"I don't know what I think any more" Stiles sighed, he feels about pull on his arm, pull him onto the bed and Stiles goes where he leads him, lays down on Scott's bed as the boy positions himself against him  
"That's okay" Scott says and his hand is still around Stiles' wrist, quietly reassuring "you don't have to worry now, not in here, I've got you"  
Stiles smiles slightly at that, other than Allison, Scott has been the only constant in his life, the only person he can trust wholeheartedly, Scott has never lied to him, he doesn't know if Scott _could_ lie to him and for the first time in what feels like days Stiles feels safe, honest and truthfully safe, and he believes Scott's words, knows with his heart and soul that Scott means his words  
"Thank you" Stiles says quietly

 

"Tell me Allison, do you really believe that? That your friends will believe you when you get to convince them you're not a hunter?" He places the baton down "you have the mark"  
"I'm not going to let a _burn_ define me" Allison snapped, her voice dripping with false bravado, pushing herself upright, the chains around her wrists, Gerard grinned at her, clearly seeing through her  
"You don't sound so sure"  
"I know who I am"  
"Us hunters? We're your family"  
"Stiles is my family" Allison replies "you don't matter, none of your hunter lackeys matter"  
“Well. We'll soon find out won't we?” He looks past her “Bag her”

 

“Why do you all pace?” Derek frowned “Did you pick this up from the twins?”  
Lydia stopped moving, she hadn't even realised  
“I- I think so” She nods  
“You're a mess, have you slept at all?”  
Lydia shook her head  
“Have you even been home? Eaten? Drank?”  
“I changed” Lydia gestures to her clothes vaguely and focuses on Derek “When will your betas get here?”  
“Soon” Derek replies, he watches Lydia for a moment “You meant what you said last night didn't you?”  
“Yes” Lydia doesn't look at him, instead she focuses on the faint heartbeats in the distance  
“You didn't even hear which part I was referring to”  
“Doesn't matter, everything I said last night I meant” she turned to him “Can you hear those heartbeats?”  
Derek opened his mouth to reply but Lydia held a hand out to silence him, "do you hear that?" She asked, she could hear two pairs of boots heading towards them  
Derek frowned at her but tilted his head to listen anyway, surely enough, three heartbeats soon came into focus, muttered words that Lydia couldn't tune into because she _knew_ that heartbeat, she sniffed the air  
 _lavenders_  
Lavenders and blood  
Derek was hardly quick enough to grab her before she leapt through the door  
"They'll have guns Lydia" he growled, "don't do anything stupid"  
Lydia growled in response, clawing herself from his grasp when she heard a heavy thud followed immediately by a pained groan, Lydia ran outside, leapt off of the deck and was crouched over Allison before the two hunters had even had a chance to turn back to her  
"Shit!" the younger of the two exclaimed, pulling out his gun and pointing it at her, Lydia fought the urge to laugh, he hadn't even turned the safety off. Lydia planted herself firmly over Allison, shielding the girl underneath her, she dug her claws into the ground and growled, making sure to bare her teeth as she glared at them. The hunter pointing the gun at her had a large gash across his right cheek, it had been badly stitched up and Lydia could already visualise the scar it would inevitably leave behind. The second hunter who looks marginally more composed than his counterpart, sported two black eyes- the result of a broken nose she assumed and Lydia felt a swell of pride, she knew without a doubt that Allison had done that two the men. The hunter he reached out and lowered the man's arm  
"We were told not to engage remember, just walk away" he glances behind Lydia to where she knows Derek is watching carefully, Lydia waits until the hunter holsters his gun and they turn away from Lydia and had back the way they came, Lydia drops to her knees, one on either side of Allison, a quick scan of the brunette confirmed every fear Lydia had, her shirt was tattered and bloodstained, cuts and bruises covering her skin, her hands bound together with tape. Lydia sliced through the tape easily and peeled it away, wincing as it revealed the deep purple bruises, Lydia pushed a few curls of hair behind Allison's ear, forcing herself to breathe and not follow the hunters and tear their throats out, her thumbs brush lightly over the blooming bruises over Allison's jaw and cheek, the split in the corner of her lip  
"Allison" Lydia whispered softly, moving her hands and supporting Allison's head instead  
The girl underneath her tensed but her eyes fluttered open nonetheless  
"Lydia?" She asked, her voice quiet and broken "is it-" a hand reached up towards her before freezing and pulling away altogether  
"It's me" Lydia nodded "you're back"  
The words seemed to take a moment to register to Allison, like she didn't quite seem to believe it. Lydia watched cautiously, she pinpointed the exact moment Allison understood, the tears filled those brown eyes, her hands reaching blindly for Lydia's shirt as they spilled over, Lydia didn't hesitate to wrap her own arms around Allison. Allison made a pained sound  
"In going to take your pain okay?" Lydia didn't give Allison a chance to respond, Lydia hissed as the pain flooded her senses, her hands gripping onto Allison's shoulders.  
But the quiet sigh of relief that came from Allison's lips and the way she relaxed in her arms made it all worth it, she shifted them until Allison was lying across Lydia's knees, one of her hands carding through Allison's hair as the other held the phone up to her ear, she glanced over to Derek who was already moving towards his car and back down to Allison, her eyes had closed again, her head resting against Lydia's chest  
“Hello?”   
“Stiles” Lydia says “I have her”

 

 

 


	6. I can feel your heartbeat running through me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have an idea” Lydia says “Do you trust me?”  
> “With my life” Allison replies quietly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from "Heartbeat" By Enrique Iglesias and Nicole Scherzinger
> 
> Also holy shit i'm so sorry, i didn't realise it had been over a month

 

“Will this guy know what he's doing?” Lydia asked from the back seat, Allison's head in her lap, stroking the hair from the sleeping girls face  
“He's a doctor Lydia” Derek glanced at the pair through the rear view mirror  
“He's a _vet_ ”  
“A vet who is aware of our situation and has magic, Lydia,” Derek sighed “she'll be safer here”   
Lydia says nothing, instead, she keeps a hand pressed to Allison's forehead, forces herself to breathe in time to Allison's heart, in and out. In and out. Lydia closes her eyes. Every instinct is telling her to hunt, to kill. They hurt Allison, they tortured her and threw her away like trash  
“Lydia-” Derek began  
“I swear to god” Lydia blew out a long breathe and opened her eyes slowly, meeting Derek's in the mirror “If you tell me to breathe, I’m going to throw you out of the window”   
“Fair enough” Derek nodded “I was going to say that we're here” He twisted in his seat and studied Lydia carefully, his gaze dropped down to Allison “Do you need help?”  
“I've got her” Lydia muttered, she glanced out of the window “Your betas are here”  
“So are Scott and Stiles” Derek added, nodding to Stiles leaping from his Jeep. Lydia shares one more look with Derek before carefully climbing from the car, lifting the brunette into her arms, careful not to jostle her 

“Allison!” Stiles ran across the parking lot, skidding to a halt just short of a grim faced Lydia, he didn't miss the way Lydia's hands tightened around his sister “Is she okay?”  
Lydia's jaw tightened, “Lets just get her inside” she glances around, adjusting her grip around the girl and pushes past Stiles. Stiles opened his mouth to protest but was caught short by watching how Allison's head lolled with every movement Lydia made.  
“Come on” Scott murmured, appearing at his side, tugging gently on his shirt. Stiles nods numbly and watches Derek mutter something to his betas before falling into step with Lydia, pushing the door open to allow the girl through. Only a few hours ago, Stiles couldn't get his mind to shut up, too many thoughts, all demanding to be heard.  
But now?  
Now everything was silent, numb. He stepped into the vets, watching as Derek spoke with Deaton, Stiles turned away, the words falling on deaf ears as Stiles turned back to Lydia  
There was the smallest voice in the back of Stiles' mind that was still completely in awe at how the girl managed to support Allison in her arms, it's a peculiar sight, he knows Allison is at least a head higher than Lydia, but in the arms of the red head, she looks tiny, broken. He tries not to linger on where he sees blood  
There's just so much  
“Is that okay Stiles?” Deaton asked, Stiles met Lydia's eye and turned to the man  
“What?” Stiles looked between Derek and Deaton, realising he had missed the entire conversation  
“I'm going to take her into the back room, examine her injuries, okay?”  
Stiles nodded “Okay”  
“Well okay then” Deaton nodded “Lydia?”  
“Yeah” Lydia muttered and Stiles can't quite place her behaviour, she seems docile, he would have assumed that the second Allison was in safe hands before going all wolf on the hunters  
She seemed broken  
Sad  
He followed Lydia and Deaton into the back room, he vaguely hears Derek tell Scott that he's going to wait by the door. He stood nearby as Lydia sets Allison down onto the table, Deaton pulling on a pair of gloves, he silently took one of Allison's hands, noticing the grazes covering her knuckles, he looks up at Lydia, her eyes focused on Allison's closed ones, pushing the hair behind her ears  
“There are chairs outside” Deaton said, looking between the three teens  
“Outside?” Lydia asked “Can we not stay here?”  
“We should be able to stay” Stiles agreed  
“I think Allison would appreciate it if you would wait outside” Deaton insisted  
Lydia looked to Stiles, clearly ready to protest  
“Okay” Stiles nodded, there was no point in fighting it “Outside”  
He heard a distinct low rumbling from the back of Lydia's throat, she glanced down at Allison once more and nodded stiffly, moving from the room quickly without looking back. Stiles squeezed Allison's hand and lay it down beside her, he leant down and pressed a kiss to her forehead

  
Allison woke up with a jolt, panic striking her immediately, she shoots up and lets out a low hiss  
“Easy there Allison” a voice behind her said, only serving to panic her more “It's me Allison” Deaton circled around into her view  
“Where are-”  
“Stiles is in the waiting room with Scott and Lydia. Derek and his betas are patrolling outside”  
“Stiles is here” Allison sighed in relief “Stiles is okay” she nods “good” She looks up to Deaton “Why am I here?”  
“You're hurt”  
Allison pushes herself into a sitting position with a groan, studying her hands and clenching them when they started shaking “Yeah”  
“They wanted to make sure there was no permanent damage, do you think you have any broken bones?”  
Allison nodded “I think when-” she cut herself off “Can they hear me?”  
Deaton smiled softly and shook his head “I have my ways, the wolves can't hear us, will you let me take an x-ray?”  
Allison pressed a palm to her forehead and nods “Yeah, yeah go ahead just... Just don't tell them, please?”  
“Allison, that isn't wise” Deaton was moving towards the x-ray machine “What are your injuries?”  
Allison closed her eyes and lay back down, “Maybe broken rib, burns, multiple lacerations” Allison forced back the images, in through the nose. Out through the mouth. Breathe, she could do this, focus on the now, she was strong, Gerard didn't own her and she wasn't going to let them win  
But honestly?  
She was fucking terrified  
The words from the hunter still echoed freshly in her mind, she can feel old memories trying to resurface and she just can't deal with that  
She can't  
“May I see the cuts and burns?”  
“Just tell me how to treat them”  
“Allison”  
“I can deal with them okay!?” Allison snaps  
Deaton hesitates “Fine” he nods, “I have an ointment you can use, should ease the pain, heal your injuries easier... Do you know what kind of burns?”  
Allison thought back to what she had read, internet searches from whenever she or Stiles had a cooking related accident, compared them to the pain she had felt “Second degree” she said finally  
Deaton nodded “This'll help” He set a small tub down beside her “It'll help fight infection with continuous use until the initial healing period, but it's in low supply, I’ll be able to make more soon” Deaton smiled, though It did nothing to calm her nerves “But I’m still going to x-ray you okay?”  
“Fine” She was so tired. But the wolves were outside, Stiles was outside  
She was safe for now

  
“Lydia you need to stop pacing” Scott insisted  
“I _can't_ ” Lydia stared at the door “I want to kill them” She _wants_ to be with Allison, wants to make good on the promise to hold her close and not let go  
But she wants to go after the hunters  
she wants to make them pay for everything that they have done to her She wants to take that taser, switch it on and shove it where the sun don't shine, they _hurt_ Allison, her Allison, sweet, beautiful Allison and now she's lying in the back room of a vets being examined  
"Lydia" Scott grabs her wrist, pulling away when she snarls at him  
"Why can't I hear?" She looks towards the closed door  
"It's Deaton" Scott says "he probably set up some kind of field" he looks over to Lydia again "she's gonna be fine Lydia"  
"I should have done more" she replies  
"We all should have done more" Stiles speaks up for the first time since they'd left her "all we can do now is make up for it"  
"Exactly" Scott agreed "we need to be here for her and-"  
"That's not what I meant" Stiles muttered, he looked up to meet the watchful gaze of the wolves "I mean revenge, I say we go find them and take them out"  
"I like the sound of that" Lydia agreed, though she glanced back at the door, feeling a pull, the urge to stay, it was such a foreign feeling, to be so torn, usually, if she was torn, it was because her wolf side would have a different idea compared to herself  
This time both her and her wolf were conflicted, torn between wanting to offer comfort, gluing herself to Allison's side and never leaving her again  
“No, guys, come on” Scott pleads “Allison has been through hell!” He turns to Stiles “You're her _brother_ ” He spins around to glare at Lydia “And you're... Well, you're in love with her, Stiles aside, we're the closest thing she has to a family that hasn't played a part in torturing her in the past forty eight hours. So drop the murderous act and fucking be here for her” Scott finished with a snarl, Lydia shares a look with Stiles, both taken aback by the normally gentle boys outburst “Okay?!” Scott adds  
“Okay” Lydia agrees, Stiles looks ready to protest but they're interrupted by the sound of the door clicking open, Deaton stepping through and Lydia is graced with the sound of Allison's racing heart for a few precious seconds before the door closes behind him  
“How is she?” Scott asked, beating Lydia to the punch  
Deaton met Scott's gaze with a solemn smile “As you can imagine, she's scared, the injuries she's shown me should be fine with proper management, I've cleaned them and-”  
“Wait,” Lydia cut him off and held a hand up “You said injuries she's _shown_ you?”  
Deaton nods “Well, she's not feeling very trustworthy and I didn't want to make her panic by forcing her to show me”  
“But it's nothing life threatening?” Stiles asked  
“I trust that if it is, she would bring it up to one of you three- she trusts you all a lot more than she does me and she's probably still in shock, moving from wherever she's been to my back room is probably a strange adjustment”  
“It would have been better if you'd have let us stay” Stiles mutters, Lydia hums her agreement  
“Maybe so” Deaton sets a file down on the table “She let me take some x-rays”  
“And?”   
“She has bruised ribs”   
Lydia growled, remembering the way Allison had been kicked in the chest   
Deaton held up the x-ray to the light and frowned “Allison also has several old fractures, varying in ages. But this one?” Deaton points to Allison's arm “Is particularly bad, old too, I'd say about....” He squinted his eyes “Seven or eight years” 

Three pairs of eyes fell on Stiles, clearly expecting an explanation, Stiles sucked in a breath and scratched the back of his had   
“Yeah, I remember that”  
Scott nodded “I remember drawing on her cast”  
“What happened?” Lydia asked  
“We were playing” Stiles answered quickly “It got out of hand and-” He cut himself off, closing his eyes for a few moments and blowing a puff of air through his nose, he speaks up again after a few seconds pass “It was a pretty bad break, I.. I don't remember much about what happened when we got to the hospital” He ran a hand over his face and willed the memory to stay back, he couldn't think about that day.  
Not today  
Lydia stared at him for a few moments and Stiles knew she didn't buy his story, that she would ask about it later, instead she turned to Deaton  
“Is she awake? Can I see her?” There was something in Lydia's tone, a sense of urgency, the way she was already moving towards the door, he glanced over to Scott, could see the tension rolling from his shoulders, Lydia looked over to Stiles “Can I see her?” She asked him, Stiles tilted his head at her and it took a moment for him to understand why she was asking him, he was Allison's sister, Lydia was asking him because _he_ should be the one leaping at the chance to go in there to see her.  
The thing is, he's scared, scared of what he'll see, of how Allison will react to seeing him, will she want to see him? The thoughts race through his mind faster than Stiles can keep up with them, so he nods. He can see that Lydia needs to see Allison, needs to be with her and Stiles knows that the thought of protecting Allison is probably the only thing stopping Lydia from going on a murderous rampage. So Stiles nods and that was all Lydia needed, she was halfway towards the door as Deaton called Stiles' name

  
“Hey” Lydia greeted softly, Allison merely blinked at her through tear filled eyes, knees drawn up to her chin where she sat on the operating table. Lydia caught sight of a small tub beside the girl. Lydia tilted her head at Allison and stepped closer, slowly “May I?” she gestured to the table. Allison stared her for a few moments until eventually nodding and Lydia breathed a silent sigh of relief, making quick work of climbing up beside Allison and crossing her ankles, she wanted nothing more than to wrap the brunette up in a hug, to hold her tight and tear the throat out of anyone who dared come near her, but Lydia could hear her heart racing, could feel the anxiety pouring off of her in waves, Lydia wasn't sure Allison would let her near her right now. The fact that Deaton hadn't specified the full extent of Allison's injuries left something unsettling in the pit of Lydia's stomach, she cast a sidewards glance at Allison, at the space between them, silently, she moved her hand and placed it in that space.  
Allison had had all of her control taken from her, she had been at the will of madmen and subjected to torture.  
Lydia would be dammed if she added to that, she wasn't going to force Allison into anything.  
So she left her hand there and waited.  
She had counted to 372 when she felt Allison shift beside her, her left hand sliding down over Lydia's, Lydia turned her hand on it's side immediately to let Allison's fingers tangle with her own and Lydia is reminded of when they were outside, enjoying the rest of their lunch break, linking pinkies in a small, intimate gesture while Stiles complained about werewolf movies- and had that only been two days ago? Lydia still often found herself marvelling at just how quickly things can change. Two days ago Allison was blushing and smiling and laughing. Today she was trembling like a leaf and covered in her own blood  
Lydia was going to make them pay for doing this to her  
“Where are we gonna go?” Allison asks, her voice broken and low in her throat, and it pains Lydia to think about the reason why  
“Scott's” Lydia replied, they had discussed it briefly when they had first entered the waiting room, his mother was working for most of the day and there they had access to first aid supplies, it was also a place where Allison had spent a lot of her childhood and therefore they figured it would be a comforting place for her  
“Okay”  
“Do you want to leave?” Lydia asked, Allison nodded “Okay” Lydia slid off of the table and studied Allison carefully, the way her skin seemed paler beneath the bruises and dried blood than she had remembered it being when she had seen her just a while ago, the deep set bags under her eyes, the way she looked like she was fighting back tears but all in all just looked _exhausted  
_ Allison pulled herself from the table, legs buckling under her weight and Lydia didn't even hesitate, she lifted Allison in her arms, ignoring the weak sound of protest Allison made and headed out to where Stiles and Scott were still talking to Deaton   
“Ready?” Lydia asked  
  


Lydia glanced back towards the stairs, listened to Allison's _still_ racing heart (it had only increased since leaving Deaton's) and how Stiles' heart was matching hers, neither of the twins were speaking, they weren't even in the same room. Stiles was in the bathroom, she could hear the taps running  
“Lydia?” Scott spoke gently, hand resting on her wrist  
“Sorry” Lydia blinked and focused on the wolves in front of her “You were saying?”  
“We need to know why they kidnapped Allison, what they wanted from her-”  
“Why the just handed her back so easily” Erica added with a shrug, not missing the sharp glare Lydia threw her “You can't tell me it didn't cross your mind”  
“It was just Gerard's way of throwing around his power” Lydia replied “Stiles and Allison would call it a power play”  
“So what do we do?” Scott asked, looking to Derek and Lydia  
“Derek?” Lydia looked at the alpha  
“Lydia” Derek nodded back at her  
“Are you going to come up with a plan or do I have to do all of the work?” Lydia planted a hand on her hip  
Derek glanced at Scott “How long can we hide the twins here?”  
“I'm not sure” Scott replied honestly “Two days? Three at most, maybe?”  
“Okay” Lydia nodded to herself and focused on Derek “Can you and your betas keep an eye on the area for a while? Patrol a bit?”  
“Of course” Derek nodded “And you?”  
Lydia looked over to Scott “We're going to help Allison”  
“We'll call you if we hear anything” Boyd smiled  
“Thank you”  
“I swear to God though, If I see one of those hunters and I get a chance...” Erica doesn't finish, doesn't have to- Lydia is sure everyone is thinking the exact same thing- save for Scott, maybe, though Lydia thinks that if it came to it, Scott would do what was right to protect the twins  
Just as they were bidding goodbye to Derek and his pack, Lydia heard Allison's heartbeat spike rapidly, hears her breathing become quicker and more laboured and Lydia barely spares Scott a glance before she's running up those stairs, slamming into the bathroom door and being shocked she didn't tear it off of it's hinges  
Lydia turned, only to be met with Stiles' wide eyes as he kneels in front of a shaking Allison  
“Come on Alli, breathe, you can do this”  
“What happened?” Lydia kneels beside him, one hand on his shoulder and the other on Allison's knee “Allison?”  
The girls eyes are closed, tears streaming down her cheeks, Lydia looks around the room while Stiles continues to repeat her name under his breath, just trying to get her to breathe, Lydia's eyes fall on the bathtub, sees the steam rising from the water, she squeezes Stiles' shoulder as she pushed herself to her feet and moved to the tub, pulling out the plug without hesitation, almost immediately, Lydia hears a change to Allison's breathing pattern  
“Good, come on Alli you got this” Lydia hovered nearby, watching how Stiles brings Allison down, memorises every word he says, the way he rubs his hand along her shoulder and she wonders if he knows that Allison's heart is falling in sync with his own (of course he doesn't) and Lydia realises for the first time, and honestly, she doesn't know how she never noticed it before, but their hearts always seem to fall into rhythm with each other, twin thing she supposes  
It's incredible to be able to hear  
When Allison's eyes finally open they seem hazy for a moment, shining with tears as they lock onto Lydia's  
Allison lets out a slow breath before closing her eyes again and tilting her head back against the wall  
“Can I have a minute please?” she asked in a quiet voice, the _'alone'_ clear even if she didn't say it  
“Of course” Lydia walks towards the door despite every instinct telling her to stay, she pulls on Stiles' arm and practically drags him out, closing the door behind her  
  
“What are you doing?” Stiles hissed “She needs us”  
“She asked for a minute alone” Lydia snapped “We have to respect that”  
Stiles made a frustrated sound  
“Stiles”  
“What?”  
“Did your father do those injuries to Allison when she was a kid? The broken arm. Was that him?” It had been on her mind since she had seen the x-ray, the way Stiles had react made it clear that It was more than your standard childhood accident and it had left a unsettling feeling in her gut, the knowledge that he would allow it to happen to Allison, aged sixteen, was bad enough, but Allison aged seven? Being the recipient of a broken arm that was so bad, the bone had pierced the skin?  
It was a thought that was immediately followed by all of the possibilities in which she could make Chris Argent suffer. She watched something snap in Stiles, his eyes turn cold  
“Just drop it Lydia” He snaps, he looks at the door and seems conflicted for a moment “I need a drink” He says finally, throwing a hand up and heading down the hallway, Lydia let out a quiet breath and listened to the sound of the taps running, she could hear Allison's barely muffled sobs  
“Allison?” Lydia hears Allison take a sharp inhale, followed by another sob, Lydia lets her head fall against the door “Can you let me in?”  
She waits, listens to Allison try to get her crying under control, listens to Allison walk softly across the tiles and hears the door unlock, when Allison opens the door Lydia takes in the sight in front of her “Hey” she greets softly, she takes a step forward, hand finding Allison's and moving fully into the room, closing the door behind them  
“Lets get you cleaned up okay?” she suggests in the softest voice she can manage  
Allison nods and Lydia is thankful that she lets her, Lydia sets Allison down on the lid of the toilet and fills the sink with warm water and rummages around until she finds a wash cloth and kneels in front of Allison, holding her hand out, Allison sniffs but places her hand in Lydia's. Lydia gives Allison's hand an encouraging squeeze before wiping at the dried blood, listening carefully for any intakes of breath as she uncovers bruises and cuts underneath the blood, Lydia turns her attention onto Allison's other arm and when she's done she sits back slightly, searching Allison's eyes, looking for any sign that Allison wants her to stop, finding none, she soaks the wash cloth in the sink, grimacing as the water turns a pale shade of red.  
Lydia takes a breath and pushes herself up so she's face to face with Allison, she pushes Allison's hair from her face with her free hand and curls her fingers around Allison's chin “May I?” She asks, holding up the wash cloth, Allison responds with a tight nod, her bottom lip trembling as she holds back her tears  
“Okay” Lydia nods, she wipes gently at Allison's forehead, her grip tightening ever so slightly when Allison's eyes clench shut and she flinches away “I'm sorry” She says  
“It's okay” Allison mutters, letting out a shaky breath, brown eyes finding her own once more, they don't leave Lydia's as she cleans Allison's face, washing away the blood until she looks almost as good as new- giant bruises and cuts aside  
Lydia soaks the wash cloth once more but doesn't remove her other hand from Allison's chin  
When she moves the material over Allison's bottom lip she feels, more than hears, Allison's sharp intake of breath, pain flickering behind her eyes and Lydia is ashamed to admit she lets herself linger for an unnecessary amount of time, and it feels out of place for there to be a moment this tender, this intimate with all that has transpired. Lydia pulls away with a jolt and stands up  
She doesn't think she'll be allowed to, but she has to ask, she can't _not_ ask, she gestures to Allison's shirt “Do you want me to...” She deliberately doesn't finish the sentence, but she makes it sound like enough of a question to let Allison know that it's okay to refuse  
“No, no.. I'll do the rest” Allison whispers, her voice breaking on every other syllable and Lydia has to admit to herself, she's scared about how bad the injuries are under there, wonders why Allison can't bring herself to show them  
But she knows Allison, trusts her enough to let her take care of them herself, trusts that if she needs to, Allison will come to one of them for help  
“Okay” Lydia swallows, “I'll just-” She gestures to the door and begins to turn when she hears Allison break, her sob tearing through Lydia like a knife and Lydia turns to her immediately as Allison doesn't even try to compose herself and just buries her face in her hands as she cries  
Lydia feels defeated, feels as though she failed  
That feeling only increases tenfold when Allison looks up at her and struggles to breathe  
And Lydia doesn't know what to do, so she just slides down the wall until she's sat on the tiles and holds her arms out in invitation and Allison doesn’t even hesitate. She moves from her seat and crawls into Lydia's lap, nails digging in painfully as she clutches Lydia's shirt as she fights for every breath that she takes and Lydia can't do anything but wrap her arms around Allison's waist and hold her close  
“Oh Allison,” She whispers into the girls hair and she knows Allison can't hear her over the sounds of her sobs, rocking the girl back and forth, feeling Allison's breath against her shirt, the tears soaking the material through “What did they do to you?”  
  


“Hey” Scott frowned “Why aren't you with Allison?”  
Stiles stabbed his juice box with his straw aggressively “I triggered a panic attack, I- I ran her a bath because of all the blood but-” Stiles swallowed thickly. Scott's face fell as he took a seat opposite “The water scared her”  
“That means...”  
Stiles nodded “Water torture”  
“Shit”  
“Is she okay? I know you can hear her” Scott pursed his lips and averted Stiles' eyes, Stiles sighed “That's all I need to know”  
“You should go up to her” Scott says quietly  
“She has Lydia”  
“She needs you, you're her _brother_ ” Scott reaches across the table and grabs Stiles' arm and pulls him up “Come on, we're going up there”  
“What if she doesn't want to see us”  
“Then we respect that” Scott shrugs “But you still have to offer”  
Stiles is silent as they reach the stairs, he waits until they reach the top “Thank you” he whispers  
Scott smiles and squeezes his hand, both looking up as the door to the bathroom clicks open, Lydia walking out a moment later, closing the door behind her  
“How is she?” Stiles asked, Lydia walks up to the pair, glancing briefly at their hands before meeting Stiles' eyes  
“She wanted to be alone. Did you bring her bag in from your Jeep?”  
“Yeah, it's in Scott's room-”  
“Good, get her some clean clothes, leave them by the door and then come downstairs okay?” Lydia moved past them and down the stairs, her voice left no room for questions 

  
Allison opened the door, glancing down the hallway before scooping up the clothes Stiles had left for her before closing the door and locking it behind her, dropping the clothes onto the lid of the toilet she stands in front of the sink, Allison gripped either side of the sink and leant forward, staring into the mirror  
She could barely recognise herself  
The majority of the left side of her face was covered in bruises. Allison took a shaky breath her grip tightening on the sink  
She wasn't going to cry again  
No matter how much she wanted to  
She wanted Stiles  
She needed Lydia  
She wanted Scott  
Hell, she wanted Derek and his little group  
Allison peeled off her shirt with a hiss, feeling the material stick to parts of her body, she threw it down into the corner of the room. She ran a hand over her cuts, wincing as she pressed her fingers into the largest and deepest of the cuts, it ran down the right side of her ribs, she reached for the wash cloth and began the process of cleaning the dried flakes of blood from her skin, cleaning out each cut, turning slightly so she could see her back, Allison didn't quite manage to conceal the gasp that left her lips, she couldn't look at the burn for long, the seal of her family burnt into her skin, it was going to scar for life  
She reached for the ointment that had been resting on the counter and unscrewed it, sniffing it hesitantly and grimacing. With a shrug, she began to apply it to the the smallest of cuts, eyes fluttering shut as it cooled the skin  
By the time she was clean from the majority of the blood and grime, injuries cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes she was exhausted

The second she reached the bottom step, Scott was there and gently leading her into the dining room  
“We figured you'd be hungry” Stiles shrugs as she frowns at them, Lydia is already seated and watching Allison carefully as Stiles pushes a plate of cold pizza towards her as she sits down, and she isn't, not really, but she hasn't eaten for over a day, so she replies with a tight lipped smile and forces herself to eat three slices, the bottle of water Scott places in front of her looks a whole lot more appealing and she downs pretty much it's entire contents in one go, feels Lydia's eyes on her throat the entire time, when she sets the bottle down Stiles looks somewhat amused  
“Thirsty?” he asks  
“Yeah well, they weren't exactly offering me a drink more than trying to drown me in it” Allison replies, the words coming out sharper than she intended, “I- I’m sorry” she said quietly  
“It's okay” Stiles dismisses with a wave  
  
"Just ask" Allison sighed heavily, pushing a hand through her hair "I can feel you all watching me, so just... Just ask" she looked up at the three pairs of eyes watching her  
"Why did he do it" Lydia spoke first  
"Why do you think?"  
"Power" Stiles replied "he wanted to throw his weight around"  
Allison waved a finger at Stiles "and what better way to show how powerful he is by torturing his granddaughter" Allison clenched her fist against the table "what else?"  
"Information." Stiles met her gaze  
"Right again" Allison nodded "think what happened in the basement but tenfold"  
"He wanted to know about the wolves"  
Allison looks to Lydia and Scott "he wanted to know your anchors"  
"He skyped us, made us watch"  
Allison kept her gaze focused on Lydia "to see who would react" Stiles and Scott pointedly look at Lydia  
"He tried to break you-”  
"-thinking that by doing so, you would follow-"  
"-And if that failed, he had still broken you, put you out of the game for a while-"  
"Because I'm seen as dangerous"  
“Whereas I’m emotional”  
Allison smirked and got up, walking along the table "He played every conceivable angle short of killing me or actively hunting you all down" Stiles moved from his own seat and mimicked her pacing  
"Chris said they weren't going to kill you"  
"Yeah, Gerard said as much" they shared a look "but neither of the are winning any awards in parenting skills" she added with a smirk  
Stiles chuckled as Stiles' eyes grew fond, Allison's shoulders sagged and she felt her eyes filling with tears  
"I missed you" she spoke in a quiet voice  
Stiles crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Allison's shoulders, pulling her close against him, Allison went willingly, ignoring how he somehow managed to put pressure on every injury she has and buried her head into his shoulder  
"I missed you too, god, I missed you"  
"Why would Gerard want to know our anchors?" A voice asked from behind them, Allison jumped and broke away from Stiles and span, her back bumping into him  
"Erica" Allison let out a breath of air and pushed away from Stiles to approach the blonde  
"Good to see you alive and well Argent" Erica smirked, patting her shoulder  
"I wouldn't say well, but thank you" Allison quipped,  
"It's good to see you" Boyd smiled, Isaac nodded beside him, Allison smiled, the high of being reunited quickly wearing off, the reality beginning to settle in again  
"So, now that we've taken care of that" Erica drawled "why does your dear grandpa want to know our anchors?"  
Allison shared a look with Stiles  
"Our anchors are what holds us together," Derek walked into the room, pausing to nod at Allison, she smiles softly and returns the nod, it's a small gesture, but she takes it for what it is, he leans against the wall "for you, your anchors are vital in keeping you...."  
"Anchored" Stiles shrugs  
"For lack of a better word" Derek nodded  
"So our anchors are our weaknesses?" Scott asked  
"Yes"  
"So if they know our anchors?" Isaac began  
"They can destroy them," Boyd frowned  
"We would lose control" Lydia spoke up "we would be completely vulnerable"  
A solemn silence filled the room as they all shared a look, Erica laughed suddenly  
"Well, shit" she scratched the back of her neck and turned to Allison "did you tell him?"  
Allison can't help but feel defensive, insulted even "of course not!" She snapped, "Even if I fucking wanted to, I _couldn't_ " she moved away from Erica, turning away sharply and clenched her hands tight, feeling her nails bite into her skin, she turned and caught Lydia's watchful gaze, her bones are beginning to ache, throat hurting, hands shaking, it was easy enough to get lost in the moment, a part of her still hadn't caught up "I only knew Scott's anchor! But that changes _nothing_ " She scrunched her eyes shut as she felt flashes of pain, the feeling of the baton pressed against her stomach, when she opened them again, she felt weaker, cold "I wouldn't do that" she shook her head "I wouldn't let that happen to you" she said as she looked past Erica and fixated on green eyes, it helped somehow, not enough to push back the flashes, but enough to stop her from breaking down in front of them all, for now anyway  
It was bad enough that they could no doubt sense her hands shaking, Allison let out a shaky breath "he tried, but I- I didn't tell him"  
"Jesus, you look like you're going to pass out" Erica frowned, she felt Stiles move closer to her "what did he do to you to try and make you talk?"  
Allison felt herself freeze up, the flashes coming faster now, feels her nails breaking through her skin  
Lydia was out of her seat immediately, pushing past Erica  
Allison is pretty sure she hears Lydia snap something at the blonde, but she can't be sure over the sound of Gerard's voice echoing in her mind  
She isn't sure how she ends up on the ground with her hands pressed over her ears, but she is and Stiles and Lydia are in front of her, their words fighting against Gerard's voice, against the hunters promise, feels her hands clawing at material, she sees blood smear across Stiles and Lydia's arms as they grip at her to steady her and when did she start bleeding?  
That's when she sees Lydia  
Sees her eyes, how they seem to glow and Allison locks onto them  
She loves Lydia's eyes  
She let's herself be pulled, lifted and she can smell Lydia all around her, pushing back the smell of blood and burning flesh, filling her lungs with delicate perfume instead of water and Allison leans into the touch

  
"What just happened?" Scott asked quietly, Stiles leaning against him in the doorway, both of them watching as Lydia sat beside Allison, the brunette curled on top of the sheets of Scott's bed, brow furrowed in discomfort, Lydia ran her fingers through Allison's hair, making soothing sounds, Scott couldn't help the small smile as he watched Allison settle down  
"Erica triggered her" Stiles sighed "the...the PTSD has kicked in... When Erica asked if she had said anything, Allison started to panic"  
"When she asked what Gerard did to her, her eyes clouded" Lydia spoke up for the first time since Allison had passed out, she didn't look up from the girl "she was stuck, having flashbacks"  
"Was that why she covered her ears?" Scott asked  
"She was hearing it again" Stiles nodded  
"Will she be okay?" Scott asked  
Lydia runs a hands through Allison's hair once more and leaves it there, he looks over to Stiles who eventually met his gaze  
“For Chris' sake, I hope so” Stiles looked back over to Allison “I made him a promise”

“So what do we do?” Erica asked  
“For a start how about you don't fucking ask her what happened” Lydia replied sharply. Erica held her hands up in surrender  
“I'm sorry, shit, I am really”   
Lydia felt herself relax at that, at the sincerity in the blondes words “Look” Lydia sighs, “Just, don't mention it unless she brings it up okay?”  
“We won't” Derek replied immediately   
“Okay” Isaac nodded “So that aside, what _do_ we do?”  
“He's playing a game with us” Stiles pulled the gun out and set it down on the table  
“Jesus, Stiles!” Scott scrambled towards him “Put that fucking thing away!”  
“Scott” Stiles groaned “The safety is on and it isn't even loaded” Stiles set a clip down beside the gun “Relax”  
“There is a _gun_ on my dinner table and you're telling me to relax!”  
“Can we fucking focus?” Erica interrupted “What do you mean he's playing a game? Who's playing a game?!”  
Stiles picked the gun up and kept it pointed lazily down at the table “Gerard. He tortured Allison for fun, he saw an opportunity to take her and he did, sure there were perks to taking her, information and whatnot, but the fact is, he only held her captive for what was essentially just over a day and then just gave her back as though returning a book” Stiles taps the barrel of the gun against the wood of the table and Lydia forces herself to focus on him, from the way the rest of the group are looking at Stiles, she can tell they're anxious, even Scott seems to be hesitant with the way Stiles' eyes go far off and cold, lost in memories.  
He clears his throat when he comes back, eyes focused once more   
“Hunting isn't just their job” He says quietly “It's a sport. A game, they're brought up treating it like a game, they get a thrill from it, and us? We're easy prey, lets face it, the hardest problem they have is covering up our deaths and I’m sure at this point they have enough experience so that won't be an issue” He set the gun down and folded his hands next to it, Lydia watched his knuckles turn white, she hadn't missed how Stiles had referred to himself as prey like the rest of them “But where's the fun in killing a bunch of teenagers? No,” He shook his head “That's no fun-”  
“None of this is fun Argent” Erica snapped  
“For us? No, for Gerard though, he gets off on this shit, power, Chris too probably and Gerard has plans, he definitely has something planned but he isn't in a rush, he's totally okay with taking his time... He's gonna turn the town into his hunting ground, block us in so we can't run. Hunting and killing teenagers isn't fun, but you know what is fun to a psychopathic old man?”   
“What?” Lydia asked  
Stiles stared her down “Do you know the phrase 'back a dog up in the corner it's gonna bite'?”   
“No” but she had a strong feeling that she knew what Stiles was getting at  
“Well that's what Gerard is going to do” Stiles pushed his chair back, the legs scraping against the floor sharply “He's going to dance around us, him and his hunters, they're going to poke at us, they're not gonna kill us, not yet, they're gonna draw it out, push us and push us until eventually... We snap” He clicks his fingers “You guys, sans Derek are new wolves and I’m... emotional” he grimaces “Allison is protective and already suffering, it's only a matter of time until he pushes us far enough to lose it. Now _that's_ fun. Hunting down feral wolves and two emotional humans in a town full of unknowing civilians-”  
“You keep adding yourself and Allison into this, when you talk about them hunting us” Boyd speaks up  
“Yeah” Stiles nods “Because he hurt my sister and I’m going to make sure he pays for that, I don't think there's much chance for a peaceful reconciliation here do you?”  
“Allison would” Scott spoke up  
“Possibly” Stiles nodded “But after what she's been through I imagine her feelings on Gerard borderline on vengeance don't you? She was already willing to shoot Chris for what he did to Lydia in the reserve”  
“He has a point” Derek said  
“It's safe to say that at this point they may have stopped trying to recruit me and Allison into the family business and now see us as a threat, but 'no' seems to be a word not in their vocabulary so I’m not optimistic about that” Stiles paces and Lydia picks up Allison's heart beginning to race, she shares a look with Scott who shakes his head in a minute action “It's a long game” Stiles continues “How long until we break?” He's staring at Lydia again, she can feel everybody else glance at her “That's when he'll make his move, when he gets bored of pushing us, the moment we tip over that ledge”  
“And if we don't tip?” Isaac asked  
Stiles shrugged “Then he'll shove us, he'll pull another stunt like he did with Allison, possibly worse” **  
**“That's why he wants our anchors isn't it?” Scott asked “Get rid of them, we lose ourselves”  
“Exactly” Stiles nodded  
“You know a lot about this” Erica remarked, Lydia's foot began to bounce against the floor, becoming increasingly agitated, Allison was having a nightmare and she needed to get to her.  
Stiles tapped his temple with a finger and for a moment, Lydia saw something dark in him “Play the game, that's the key”  
And she was scared of what she saw  
“You sound like you have experience” Isaac said  
Stiles turned to him “More than you think”  
“You know, you still haven't told us what we're going to do” Erica looks away from Lydia and focuses on Stiles once more  
“We stay calm, we play the game”  
“But-”  
“Look, I’m willing to bet that they won't attack us, not yet, so we carry on as normal as possible, just... Be on guard”  
“Reassuring Argent”  
“Okay” Derek nods “We'll talk more tomorrow”  
“You bet”  
  


Stiles lingered near by while Scott and his mother talked in hushed whispers, he cast a cautionary glance upstairs, they hadn't heard movement from Scott's room since Derek and his pack had left, Lydia heading up the stairs to Allison and leaving Scott and Stiles alone to their own devices, Stiles had been consciously aware of Scott watching him take apart and then reassemble the gun methodically until he was sure he could do it with his eyes closed  
There was no point in trying to pretend everything was normal  
"Mom, just for tonight please" he heard Scott plead  
"Where's Allison?" Melissa asked, Stiles wasn't entirely sure what excuse Scott had thought up, didn't really care, as long as they had a place to lay low for a few days, long enough for Allison to have a chance of recovery, they'd worry about what would happen next  
"She's with Lydia" Scott replied, and he wasn't wrong, he wasn't exactly lying. There's a long silence  
"Fine, he can stay, but Scott, whatever happened at home, he needs to face it, Allison too"  
"Okay" Stiles could hear Scott's smile  
"And it's only for a couple of days, go to bed at a reasonable time"  
"Thank you, you're the best"  
"And don't you forget it"  
Scott emerges from the room, grinning, Stiles can't help but smile back, even as he pulls his shirt down over the gun tucked hastily into the waistband of his jeans, Scott silently grabs his hand and pulls him towards the stairs and Stiles looks over his shoulder in time to see Melissa emerge from the room and flash him a _look  
_ Stiles doesn't know what to do with that look  
"What did you say to her?" He asks instead  
Scott shrugs as they reach the top of the stairs "I just said that you and Allison had an argument with your dad"  
"Well..." Stiles chuckles, though there's no humour to it, sounds almost cold "you wasn't wrong"  
Scott offers a small smile and pushes his door open and they both froze at the sight  
Allison lying precariously close to the edge of the bed, arm dangling over, reaching out, on the ground beside her, Lydia lies, curled onto her side towards the bed, arm slumped against the frame  
Stiles realises with a start that Lydia fell asleep holding Allison's hand, no doubt trying to comfort his sister from the nightmares plaguing her  
"She finally burnt herself out" Scott murmured, as though scared to break the quiet peace over the two girls  
"Yeah" Stiles agrees "what do we do?"  
Scott shrugged "this is the first time Lydia has slept since Allison got taken"  
"We're all tired" Stiles sighed  
"Yeah" Scott agreed "wanna nap?"  
Stiles shook his head  
"Should we actually do our homework?" Scott suggested  
"Yeah, that'll do"

  
Lydia shot up, scanning the room quickly, falling on Stiles watching her apologetically, book open at his feet, ah, so that was what had woken her up  
Lydia pushed a hand through her hair and looked over to Allison, she let out a small sigh, for the first time since she arrived, she actually looked somewhat peaceful  
"How long was I out?" Lydia asked quietly  
Scott looked up from his textbook, highlighter between his teeth, he pulls out his phone  
"Two hours" he says "feel better?"  
Lydia shifts so her back is to the bed, reaching for Allison's hand and moved it back onto the bed "Yeah, Yeah I feel better" she replied truthfully, there was still an ache in her bones that she couldn't quite explain, she suspected it was down to her exhaustion, a lack of sleep, food it water with the added effect of fighting her wolf for control and the general worry that comes with trying to find the girl you love while she's being tortured  
"Dinner is going to be done soon" Scott closes his book with a sigh  
"Mrs McCall thinks you and Alli are at your place" Stiles adds  
"And she's meeting friends from work so we're good for a while after dinner" Scott folded his arms  
"Scott! Stiles!" Melissa shouted from downstairs  
Allison jolted, firsts clutching at the sheets, Lydia turned back to Allison, hand moving into her hair automatically  
"Come on Scott" Stiles pulled at the boys arm "I don't want her to wake up, she needs to rest"  
Lydia and Scott shared a brief look before Scott nodded and let Stiles pull him from the room  
Lydia listened to them move down the stairs, greet Melissa in the kitchen to help her  
She looked back down to Allison  
"Why didn't you want Stiles to know you're awake?"  
There was a moment of silence and then Allison let out a sigh "sometimes I hate your super werewolf senses" Lydia moves her hand from Allison's hair and the girl rolls onto her back opening her eyes slowly  
"Yeah, me too" Lydia sighed "but that's a topic for another day" Lydia adjusted herself on the bed and looked down at Allison, dishevelled curls, looking up at her through lidded eyes  
"What happened?" Allison asked  
"You don't remember?"  
Allison closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, she winced suddenly and held her hands above her head, Lydia could see four crescent shaped gouges in Allison's palms  
"I remember" Allison clenched her fists and dropped them either side of her "fuck, I remember"  
Lydia settles for watching the rise and fall of her chest for a few minutes, Allison didn't seem too bothered by the silence  
"Do you want some water?" Lydia asked eventually, Allison shook her head "Food?"  
"Not hungry"  
Lydia frowned down at the girl, eyes scanning Allison's arms, falling on a faded scar on her forearm "that's from when you broke your arm isn't it?"  
Allison's eyes snapped open and locked onto Lydia's "you know about that?" Her voice sounded considerably more panicked than Lydia would have liked to have heard  
"I know _of_ it," Lydia amended "Stiles never specified, just said you got it playing"  
Allison sank back into the pillows and let out a low breath "that's one way to put it" she says eventually, tilting her head to look at Lydia once more  
"What happened?" Lydia asked  
Allison sat up and drew her knees under her chin, shrinking herself down, Lydia could feel the brunette walls sliding up "can we not?" She asked in a quiet voice, eyes avoiding Lydia's  
"Okay" Lydia nods "we won't talk about it"  
"Just like that?" Allison lifted her head slightly "you'll just drop it?"  
"You don't want to talk about it, I don't want to force you and trigger a panic attack" Lydia shuffled closer, reaching out to push a lock of hair behind Allison's ear, Allison tensed for a moment but leant into the touch. Lydia reluctantly moved her hand away  
"You did that before" Allison whispered, Lydia's eyes flickered away, she could think back to a handful of occasions where she had done the exact same thing, Allison must've picked up on Lydia's confusion, or maybe she was just continuing her sentence because she spoke up again, voice impossibly quiet, Lydia remembered hearing her scream that night, realised with a sinking feeling that every word probably hurt "At Derek's"  
Lydia nodded, recalling the memory  
Had it really been less than twelve hours ago?  
"Yeah"  
Allison met Lydia's eyes and nodded "I thought so" she tapped her temple in two distinct beats "I wasn't sure though, I thought maybe it was a dream" she looked away again, eyes cast downwards "I kinda think this is a dream, that I'm still in there, I'm scared that this is a dream"  
Lydia feels her heart drop, "Allison" she breathes, moving closer, and she shouldn't be doing this, Allison didn't need this on top of everything else  
Allison still isn't looking up, body tensed  
"Allison" Lydia says again, her left hand finds Allison's knee, the other returning to it's place in her hair, Allison finally looks up, eyes locking once more and Lydia has always marvelled at Allison's eyes, how they never fail to show so much emotion, they look fearful, Lydia rubs her thumb against Allison's temple "this isn't a dream, you're here, you're back" and Lydia doesn't know where the space between them went, only that it's almost gone, and Lydia knows she wouldn't do this, Allison has been through so much, suffered so much and the last thing she needs is for Lydia to unload all of her wolf problems on her  
Two new heartbeats outside broke Lydia out of her stupor, she turns her head in the direction of the window, so close to Allison she can feel the girls shaky breaths against her cheek  
"L-Lydia?"  
The way Allison starts shaking isn't lost on Lydia, it actually worries her somewhat, Lydia locks onto the heartbeats, one of them feeling familiar  
"Lydia, what's wrong?"  
Lydia growled and squeezed Allison's knee, a vaguely reassuring gesture (though the fact that she's growling probably isn't reassuring in the slightest) using the gesture to push herself from the bed and easily crossed the short distance and pressed a palm into the glass and growls  
"Lydia?" She can hear the bed springs protest as Allison moves across the bed  
"Stay there" Lydia holds out a hand behind her  
"What's wrong?" Allison asked, voice cracking slightly, Lydia glanced over to her, watched Allison's eyes lock onto her own, how Allison seems to freeze at the sight of her golden eyes, clearly realising something is wrong, and then she watches Allison _relax_ as though the presence of her eyes is a reassuring enough gesture  
Sometimes Lydia didn't know how to read this girl  
Lydia sighed and turned back to the two figures across the street, her gaze unwavering. She felt Allison stop behind her, felt her freeze, hand finding Lydia's immediately  
Gerard and Chris stared up at them, Chris seemed emotionless, the only thing betraying him being the way his heart beat slightly quicker than average. Gerard, the sick fuck was grinning up at the pair, leaning lazily against the car  
“Do you want me to kill them?” Lydia asked, her free hand already moving to open the window  
“Shit, Lydia no, please”   
“I'll kill them for hurting you”   
“Lydia no” Allison pleaded “I need you here. Please stay. Please stay with me”  
Lydia sighed heavily, but kept her eyes fixated on the two men outside “Okay” She nodded slightly “But I’m not moving from this spot until they leave”  
Allison shuffled slightly closer, letting her head fall against her shoulder “Okay”

  
  
“Okay, so they know we're here” Stiles says from his spot beside Allison, Scott watches him intently from the other side of the room, fixates on the way Stiles' hand moves slow circles around a faded scar and Scott's noticed over the past few hours how the twins seem to be acting weird around one another, has heard them having hushed conversations in French  
It worries him, and judging by the way Lydia is watching them, he thinks she feels the same. But then again, Scott thinks that's just the way Lydia looks at Allison now  
He wants to know everything Lydia thinks about the twins, if she's as intrigued in them as he is, if she sees something he can't  
He thought he could read them both like a book  
Because he's known them for years, been friends with them for years, he saw them at their highs and lows, he remembers playing in the backyard  
Games that once seemed like childish fun now seems more like a hunter training drill  
Memories of them all being on the same team and playing dodge ball together and watching in awe at his two friends, how Stiles would draw the fire of the other team while Allison landed impossible shots  
Allison always had perfect aim  
He remembers the night their mother died  
The twins were sleeping over because it was supposed to be date night for the Argent's and Scott's mom was more than happy to let them stay  
They had played video games and watched cartoon and ate ice cream while Allison complained about Jackson being an idiot because he still wouldn't let her play soccer with them because she was a girl (he remembers her retaliating by herself and Stiles filling his locker with their dads shaving foam they had stolen the first time that had happened) He remembers Stiles talking about Lydia and Allison changing the subject. He remembers the three of them camping out on the floor of his living room in a blanket and pillow fort  
Scott remembers waking up in the middle of the night with Allison whispering to Stiles in French because she had been practising more lately and Stiles not being able to understand every word because he preferred to come over to Scott's house instead of studying, how Allison had said she had a weird feeling that something was wrong and Stiles had agreed with her but ultimately they had hugged it out and climbed back under their blankets  
He remembers a solemn faced Chris Argent appearing on the doorstep the next morning and ushering the three of them upstairs so he could have a few minutes to talk to his mother  
Remembers sitting on the stairs, right behind Stiles and Allison staring at their clasped hands and hearing words like 'suicide' and 'depression' and Scott didn't know what they were talking about until he heard the word 'gunshot'  
Allison seemed to understand too, she buried her head in the crook of Stiles' neck as he wrapped an arm around her.  
Scott also remembers Chris calling the twins downstairs and his mom taking him to his room. How she had sat him down and explained what had happened, what Victoria had done, and Scott was confused, because how could she do that to them? How could she be sad when she had the twins? Scott remembers asking his mom if she could be their mom too because he didn't mind sharing and they needed a mom now because Victoria had been sad and left them and she wasn't going to come back. How, instead of replying his mom had hugged him and he could feel her crying because his mom and Victoria were friends he thinks, or maybe it was because she was sad for Allison and Stiles like he was. Scott also remembers asking what he should do, how he could help.  
He remembers vividly the way his mother had pulled back, held him by his shoulders, looked him straight in the eye and said;  
'be there for them'  
“Scott?” Stiles' voice brings him out of his memories and Scott finds three pairs of eyes watching him  
“Sorry” Scott clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck “Zoned out, what did you say?”  
Stiles sighs heavily as though Scott has caused a great inconvenience, though his smile tells Scott otherwise “Gerard and Chris, they know we're here”  
“Would they try anything?” Scott asked “Is my mom safe?”  
“We're not going to let anything happen to your mom” Allison says, voice rough, she meets his eyes “no fucking way are they touching her”  
“They're not going to make a move for a few days” Stiles adds  
“How can you be so sure?” Scott asked  
“I can't” Stiles sighed “Not for sure” He looked up and met Scott's eyes “But if I was Gerard right now I would step back for the next few days”  
“Why?” Lydia asked, eyes fixed firmly ahead  
“To be dramatic” Allison muttered, her own eyes locking with Lydia's, Scott watches the pair as Stiles starts to talk again  
“In a way, yeah, we're going to be on guard and edgy for the next few days and he's going to watch us run around like headless chickens trying to figure out his plan and just when we start to let our guards down, start to form a routine he'll pull the rug out from under us and leave us with a blind spot”  
“Basically, he wants to keep us on our toes without actually having to do anything. He wants to watch us lose our minds” Allison finished  
Scott nods slowly, Allison and Lydia still haven't broken eye contact despite the faint pain he's picking up from Allison, they both seem remarkably calm, Stiles too.  
It's incredibly disconcerting  
“How do you know that's what Gerard is going to do?” Scott asked, Stiles meets his eyes and that look is back, cold and dark and something dangerous. His hand ceases all movement and closes around Allison's arm  
“Because it's what I would do in his position”  
That's when Allison looks away from Lydia, focuses on her brother instead and Scott hears her heart beat a fraction faster  
Scott suddenly finds himself thinking back to the games they played as children  
  
  
Allison jolts awake, shooting upright, hand moving to rest against her chest, her racing heartbeat beating against her skin. She swallows thickly and looks at the other two figures stretched out along the bed, Stiles lying in the the centre with Scott curled around him. Allison let out a long breath, thankful she hadn't woken them.  
Her body ached, cuts stinging and Allison suspects maybe one or two of them are bleeding again. Allison moves to slide off of the bed when she finally looks up, her heart catching in her throat as she locks onto golden orbs across the room  
“Lydia?” She whispers, unsure  
“Nightmare?” came the response  
Allison sighed and ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she catches a cut near her temple “Yeah” Dreams of the hunter, grinning too wide and covered in blood climbing through the window while she slept “Yeah I had a nightmare” Allison watches Lydia's eyes fade and wishes they hadn't, Allison sighs at that and moves to the window, pulling back the curtains enough so she can actually see the girl “You aren't sleeping”  
“I couldn't” Lydia didn't look away  
“Why?”  
Lydia shrugs and it's clear Allison isn't going to get an answer so she turns to look back at the boys on the bed  
“Cute”  
Lydia hums in agreement “They'd be a cute couple”  
“Yeah”  
“You wouldn't be surprised?” Lydia asked  
“Please,” Allison turns to face her and even Lydia's completely human green eyes seem to sparkle in the darkness “Nobody would be surprised”  
Lydia's nose wrinkled at the comment but she smiled softly nonetheless “How are you feeling?”  
Allison deflated at that, leaning back against the window and pulling the hoodie tighter around herself- she had actually felt okay until Lydia had said that  
“Kinda claustrophobic actually” she replies “Aside from those few moments of consciousness I haven't been outside for what? Two days? She holds Lydia's eye for a moment before turning to open the window, just to feel fresh air on her face, that's all she needs. She doesn't hear Lydia move across the room, doesn't realise she's moved until her hand is curling around her wrist and it's so _warm_ and Allison wonders if it's normal to feel so cold, if it's just a side effect of the torture  
“I have an idea” Lydia says “Do you trust me?”  
“With my life” Allison replies quietly and she has to look away at that point, she feels Lydia's eyes on her for a long while before the window slides open, and without releasing her grip on Allison's wrist, Lydia eases herself onto the windowsill and stares expectantly at Allison and she follows her unthinkingly   
She trusts Lydia Martin with her life  
And with Lydia's strong grip and steady hands, that's how they end up on the roof, Allison leaning back against the slope so she's lying at an angle against the cold shingles  
And she's freezing, feels a cold settle deep in her bones but right now, she doesn't care  
She doesn't care because she feels as though if she reached out, she could touch the stars. She feels peaceful and free and for a minute, only a minute, she feels the weight slip from her shoulders, feels like she can forget all of the pain for just as long as she's on this rooftop with Lydia  
Until she shifts and the skin pulls around her burn forcing a hiss from her lips  
“Okay?” Lydia asks, an edge of concern to her voice  
“Yeah” Allison winces as she pushes herself up on her forearms as she continues to stare at the stars “It's beautiful” she sighs, and she feels herself smile   
“It's the most gorgeous sight I’ve seen all day” she hears Lydia whisper and Allison tilts her head towards the girl, only to have their eyes meet and Allison feels her breath catch- had Lydia been staring at her the entire time? “Your cold” Lydia says suddenly  
“Yeah” Allison nods  
Lydia tilts her head slightly and shifts so she's more or less matching Allison's position and it reminds her of that moment in the bathroom, that moment when she let herself break and Lydia had held her and rocked her through it and Lydia was so warm and comforting and Allison doesn't ask for her to do so, never asks for anything other than for Lydia to stay, to stay with her and not go out on a suicide mission but Lydia is still here, Lydia hasn't ran away from her yet (Allison tries to convince herself that Lydia wouldn't do that, wouldn't run away, but she never seems to be able to do that) And Stiles is here but he keeps getting that look in her eyes and it scares her, it's a look she hasn't seen for years but Scott is here too and if anyone can bring Stiles down it's Scott  
Allison knows why Stiles is behaving like the way he is, knows it goes deeper than revenge for what Gerard did to her, for what Chris _allowed_ to happen  
She knew the minute his hand moved to the scar on her arm instead of holding her hand like he normally would, though they hadn't talked about  
They didn't need to, Allison just _knew  
_ Though living in a house with two werewolves left little room for privacy so she had attempted to have a conversation with him, though Stiles' French needs improvement and had only succeeded In making them both frustrated.  
Allison looks back at Lydia and she's still watching her, eyes full of questions and hair shining in the starlight.   
Allison moves carefully across the small space between them and Lydia's arm curls around her waist, brushing against her injuries and Lydia is the one who winces this time, Allison lets out a quiet sigh of relief at the sudden absence of pain as she leans into Lydia's chest, heartbeat strong against her ear and Allison marvels at how they seem to mould together so easily as though they were made for one another. But she can't really think about that because Lydia is so warm, so soft and comforting and she smells like expensive perfume and the forest and it's so very _Lydia,_ the perfect balance between the girl and her wolf  
Allison can feel the cold seeping from her bones, slowly being replaced by something light and pure and _warm_ and if this isn't love she feels for Lydia, then she doesn't know what is, she feels Lydia tuck her chin over her head and tug Allison closer against her  
Allison soon feels herself drifting because Lydia never fails to make her feel safe and sure, Allison dreams of Lydia's teeth against her throat, claws dragging across her skin but she never feels like she'll clamp down  
She trusts Lydia   
“I'm sorry you know” Lydia says quietly, as though she's scared to break the fragile silence around them, scared of startling Allison. Allison closes her eyes and counts to Lydia's heart, wonders If Lydia is doing the same to her   
“For what?” Allison asked   
Lydia sighed, her breath warm against Allison's head “For not being able to protect you”   
“It's okay”  
“I tried to find you”  
“I know”   
“How?” Lydia asked  
Allison shrugged, well, as much as a shrug as she could managed “I just knew you wouldn't sit back and leave me there, even if you knew it was a trap, you wouldn't leave me. You'd kill for me if you had to” Allison yawned   
“In a heartbeat” Lydia replied

  
Lydia had felt Allison fall asleep as the words left her mouth. The brunettes words were comforting on a level she couldn't quite understand, Allison's unwavering trust in her  
It was reassuring to know that whatever she had suffered when she was with Gerard hadn't changed her opinion on werewolves, on Lydia.  
For the entire night, Lydia lay there under the stars watching therise and fall of Allison's chest, listened to the steady beat of her heartbeat as the stars move across the sky how, almost like clockwork, Allison would shift in her arms, make a sound just short of a whine and tense against her, easily calmed by a hand in her hair. In a twisted kind of way, it was almost beautiful to watch, the way Allison would twist, every muscle going rigid and taut as she turns her face in towards Lydia, forehead pushing against her chest and Lydia moves her hand along Allison's spine, lingering on Allison's neck before moving into her hair and revelling in the way Allison seems to relax in an instant as Lydia begins to rub her fingers in slow circles against her scalp.  
Lydia knows there's an injury around her shoulder blades- had figured it out early into the night as she brushed against the space between her shoulder and Allison had reared up, brow furrowing as a pained sound broke the silence  
Guilt had filled Lydia immediately as she took the girls pain while simultaneously muttering her apologies over and over.  
Eventually the nightmares seemed to stop, or at least give a long resting period, giving Lydia the chance to settle back, to lie back against the roof and ease Allison down with her, holding the brunette in place so she doesn't have to worry about Allison rolling over in the night and accidentally falling off of the roof- that was the last thing they needed on top of everything else   
As the sun began to peak over the horizon, Lydia had to move Allison onto her her side, holding one of Allison's hands close against her chest  
Lydia kept her focus on Allison and Allison alone as the sun moved up into the sky, the way gentle rays made Allison's skin glow, hair shining in the light giving her an almost ethereal glow, the shadows cast by the sharpness of her jaw and Lydia kind of wants to poke Allison awake just to see what her eyes would look like when reflecting the morning light, she pictured stunning amber orbs sparkling in the light  
Lydia really wanted to know what they looked like  
Allison's eyes were always beautiful to watch  
But this was enough, Lydia would happily give up give up sleep just to spend her nights watching the girl sleep, she would give up so much just to watch Allison be anything other than sad or hurt  
Lydia pushed herself onto her elbows and listened into the house, listened to Melissa get up, move about her morning routine, Lydia felt something tug at her heart for the woman, she always worked so hard, worked so hard to provide for herself and Scott, to give the boy a good chance at life and she had raised such an amazing son, her determined work ethic clearly present in his personality. It was safe to assume that the woman had played a large part in the twins childhood as well, she had listened in on dinner in the quiet moments between herself and Allison, the way Stiles seemed so at ease, so at home  
If Allison wasn't technically in hiding, she would no doubt interact with the woman with as much ease   
She assumed Allison and Melissa had something akin to a mother daughter relationship  
Melissa seems like the type of woman to take the twins under her wing after their mother died  
Lydia wishes she knew what they were all like during those years  
Lydia wishes there were more parents like Melissa McCall in the world  
Maybe if Gerard had been hugged more as a child they wouldn't be in this mess  
"What are you thinking about?" Allison's voice broke through her thoughts, Lydia hadn't even heard her wake up, Lydia tilts her head to look down at the brunette and she was right, Allison's eyes looked like honey in the light  
"Mrs McCall" Lydia replied "She seems like a good person"  
"She is" Allison says, voice thick with sleep. She closes her eyes and stretches back out against the roof and Lydia resists the urge to poke her and force her eyes open once more, Allison smiles softly "She would always let me and Stiles stay over, especially after-" Allison sighs and opens her eyes again, locking back onto Lydia, Allison's breath catching in her throat, Lydia wonders briefly if it's because she's in pain- but no, no, Allison isn't in pain, well, not enough anyway, Lydia can feel a constant steady thrum of pain deep in her bones, a pain Lydia can't seem to be able to take "After mom..." Allison began again "She would let us stay over more and it got to the point where me and Stiles couldn't even sleep in our own home, we started to sleep in the same room, even now we end up sleeping in the same room at least once a week" Allison pushes herself onto her elbows and smiles again, eyes becoming distant as she recalls an old memory "Chris wasn't very good at shopping, Stiles has his moments... But it's mostly limited to flannel shirts and hoodies" Allison laughs and Lydia finds herself smiling at the image of Allison and Stiles trying to choose dresses for Allison "Melissa was always more than happy to take me, I remember, there was this dance during our freshman year, and on that morning I was _freaking_ out..." She looks back over to Lydia "You know that feeling when suddenly you realises everything in your closet is awful?"  
"Nothing in my closet is ever awful" Lydia murmured, "but continue" she waves her hand  
Allison laughs and gives Lydia a fond look "I panicked so much, Stiles just stared at me like I was crazy, so naturally I called Melissa, she was only too happy to help, she picked me up and we dragged Scott and Stiles along with us and we tried on dresses for ages, the boys left us because we were taking so long and it ends up with us both buying dresses, I brought this red strapless dress with black trim and she had brought this amazing black dress and we'd met Scott and Stiles in the food court and we drank iced coffees and Scott and Stiles had a cookie eating contest" Allison chuckles and it's a glorious sight "It was a great day"  
Lydia smiles back and searches through her memories, thinks back to freshman year "Which dance?" Lydia asked  
Allison smirks at her and lies back down "Valentines day"  
Lydia thinks back and frowns "I don't remember seeing you that day" she remembers seeing Scott and Stiles, remembers them being their usually awkward and goofy selves and getting themselves kicked out towards the end. But Lydia knows she would have remembered seeing Allison that night, especially with the dress she was describing  
"I didn't go. Not in the end"  
"Why not?"  
"No date, didn't want to watch the happy couples" Allison explained with a shrug, a small frown tugging at the corners of her lips  
"But you still brought the dress?" Lydia asked  
"It was a nice dress" Allison shrugged "It was still a great night" Allison sat up and stretched her arms out, back arching, letting out a sound that falls somewhere between pained and satisfied "We sat on the sofa in our dresses, ate ice cream and popcorn and watched stupid chick flicks" Allison gives her a sly smile  
"You're insulting the notebook aren't you?"  
Allison laughed again "Just an observation" she nudges Lydia with her shoulder and beams, dimples showing for the first time  
"I'm wounded Argent" Lydia replies with a grin  
"Ah, I’m sure you'll live"  
Lydia laughed, reaching over to push Allison's hair behind her ear, it's a gesture she can't stop herself from doing now and she watches Allison's smile brighten for another moment before she ducked her head in her own tell-tale nervous gesture, a slight blush rising to her cheeks "I'm sure I will" Lydia replied softly  
Allison made no attempt to move from the touch, instead meeting Lydia's gaze with her own "You know..." she begins almost reluctantly "Melissa is going to be leaving in a minute"  
"So?"  
Allison laughed "So, when she leaves she's going to see us lying on her roof"  
"Oh" Lydia sighs, she draws her hand slowly across Allison's face, letting her thumb brush over Allison's cheekbone on the relatively unmarked side of Allison's face "your bruises are healing fast"  
Allison pulls away from the contact at that, her hand moving up to the left side of her face "Really?"  
"Really" Lydia desperately wants to cradle her face, she hadn't really noticed it in the darkness, even with her wolf vision but now in the morning light it was clear that the bruising was fading from it's regular purple hue to a blue  
"Perk of being around werewolves I guess" Allison looks away  
"Yet all the werewolf abilities couldn't stop me from letting you get hurt" Lydia sighed  
"Whoa," Allison's head snapped back around to face her "No, no don't do that, you can't blame yourself, please, it's not your fault" her hand shoots out and grabs Lydia's hand  
"I should have been faster Allison" Lydia lets herself focus on their hands, it's easier to focus on than the desperation in Allison's eyes "If I had been faster, worked harder, stayed in control, I could have found you faster I could have stopped you from getting hurt"  
"Lydia" Allison sighed, she pulled on Lydia's arm and moving it so she could move into Lydia's space, Lydia's arms wrapping around her automatically "It was inevitable, it happened and we can't change that no matter how much I want to," Allison's voice shakes and Lydia feels her own chest clench uncomfortably  
"I should be the one comforting you" Lydia replies and great, she was crying now "You've been through so much"  
“Just let me have this moment then Lyd, let me be the strong one for a minute before I remember what happened to me and I lose it again, just for a minute let me comfort you”  
“Okay” Lydia whispered, holding onto the Allison that little bit tighter  
 

"No!" Stiles and Lydia yelled in sync with such force Allison couldn't suppress her flinch, she sighed inwardly as both of their expressions immediately softened, Allison had to look away, she couldn't deal with the pitiful looks, Allison clenched her fists as she felt the shakes begin to set in once more, she knew it was coming, from the moment she woke up, like a cloud over her head, coldness seeping into her bones once more. Those few minutes she got to hold Lydia, comfort her, it had been a distraction  
Until it wasn't  
As soon as Lydia had helped her through the window and closed it behind them the weight of her despair had hit her like a sack of bricks  
Scott walked into the living room, a frown on his lips as he looked at both Stiles and Lydia as he moved to sit beside Allison, his warmth a stripe down her side  
"Allison does have a point" Scott shrugged "If we all miss school it'll draw so much attention"  
"And we can't do that"  
"I'm not leaving you" Stiles and Lydia said together, sharing another look  
Scott nudged Allison with his shoulder "Think they're twins instead?"  
Allison's head whipped around to him, a horrified expression on her face  
"Okay, I take that back" Scott muttered  
"I'm not going to school" Lydia shook her head "No fucking way"  
"I bet that's a first for you to say" Stiles remarked  
"Well if you haven't noticed Stiles, we have bigger things to worry about"  
"And I’ll be damned if I leave Allison alone"  
"Likewise" Lydia folded her arms and glared at Stiles  
"Oh my god, both of you stay" Scott threw his hands up "Just stop with the arguing. I'll go to school, I have Derek's betas"  
"And I have a gun!" Stiles adds, Scott sighs beside her and gets to his feet, moving around the room  
"You have a gun?" Allison snaps her head over to Stiles “W-Why do you have a gun?!”  
Stiles was looking at her like she was crazy “Allison” He says as he crosses the room and kneels in front of her, hand closing over the scar on her right arm, the other around the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him “All we had going for us was the fact that we're Chris' kids, that was the only card we had up our sleeve, we don't have that now and look what happened to you, I’m not risking you again Alli”  
“Stiles...”   
Stiles sighed and glanced down at her arm “I'm sorry you got hurt” he says quietly and Allison strongly suspects he isn't talking about recent events  
“It wasn't your fault”  
Stiles lifted his head and gave her a look of disbelief, and Allison knew she could waste every breath telling him it wasn't his fault  
But he wouldn't believe her  
It was just easier to let it go, never talk about it, lock it In the vault with all the bad stuff   
They were going to need a bigger vault  
“Which gun?” Allison asked quietly  
“The Colt OHWS”  
Allison furrowed her brow “.45?”   
Stiles nodded “Ten round detachable box magazine”   
Allison hummed, image forming in her mind “Fixed iron sights, 90's model”  
“That's the one”  
“Was that the only one you could grab? I know we have better models, _newer_ models”  
“I was in a rush Allison, I literally only have one magazine as well”  
“Ten shots”  
“Ten bodies”  
Allison grimaces “You still remember how to shoot?”  
Stiles chuckles humourlessly “I don't think you ever really forget Allison” He looks her dead in the eye “You?”  
Allison sighs and holds out a hand, openly showing the way it tremors “I don't think I’ll be any help right now” Stiles took Allison's hand in his own, she could still feel it shaking under his grip, Allison looks away and locks eyes with Lydia, sees her watching them with curiosity  
“It's gonna stop eventually Allison”   
Allison closed her eyes for a few seconds, taking a long, slow breath “What am I supposed to do all day?”   
“Well” Lydia spoke up “I seem to recall seeing a bunch of stupid chick flicks over there” she gestured towards the TV set   
Allison smiled up at the girl, though if fell short and Lydia clearly didn't miss the action   
“Shit” Scott said suddenly “I'm going to be late” He moved to grab his bag, Stiles squeezed Allison's hand before letting go   
“Come on dude, I’ll give you a ride, least I can do”  
Scott smiled thankfully “I'll see you later okay?” He turned back to Allison   
“Okay”  
Allison watched the two boys leave and dropped her head in her hands as soon as the door closed, a moment later she felt the sofa dip under the added weight of Lydia and a warm arm loop around her waist, pulling her sideways until she can smell the familiar scent that is Lydia  
“I wish my body would just make a decision” She mumbled  
“How do you mean?” Lydia asked  
“One minute I feel fine, I feel like it didn't happen but then...” Allison takes a shaky breath “I feel like I’m going to die”  
Lydia pulls her closer "I don't know how to help" she admits with a quiet sigh, sounding genuinely disappointed with herself  
"Just keep doing that" Allison muttered, referring to Lydia's hand that was now rubbing soft circles into the small of her back, Allison feels another hand hook around her shoulder, brushing painfully against her burn for a brief moment, Lydia's arm moves higher up immediately, moving around her neck and pulling Allison closer against her into a hug  
"Okay" Lydia replied, Allison tried to focus on the beat of Lydia's heart, the steady rhythm of it against her cheek, she liked to believe that this was one of the perks of being a werewolf, being able to listen to the beat of someone’s heart, to be able to count every beat and breathe to it, to be able to hear someone’s heart race when they see the person they have feelings for. But on the flip side it must be frustrating sometimes, especially if you can't tune it out, the continuous drumming, driving you slowly to the brink of madness  
"Lydia?"  
"Hm?"  
"Does my heartbeat annoy you?"  
"...What?"  
Allison reached up to press her hand to her own chest, feeling the way it races beneath her fingertips, not entirely because of the close proximity to Lydia (though she'd be lying if she said that wasn't a contributing factor) "Since I’ve come back, when I panic, does my heartbeat annoy you?"  
"Of course not" Lydia pulled away so Allison could see her clearly, Lydia seemed confused by Allison's question, eyes fixed on Allison's own "Allison, when you panic I’m not thinking about if your heartbeat is going to annoy me, I’m _worried_ because you're scared, and all I’m thinking about is how I could help you come back"  
Allison sighed heavily "I'm going to need a damn good therapist in a few years"  
Lydia gave a breathy laugh, pulling Allison close once more "Oh, and for the record? Your heartbeat is very soothing”

 

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Stiles asked when the silence between them both became too much for him to bear, he glanced over to Scott, Scott looked over to him, barely concealed surprise in his eyes "What? Think I didn't notice the way you were looking at me and Allison earlier?" Stiles chuckled quietly, turning his attention back to the road "You don't need werewolf senses to know when something is bugging you dude"  
Scott exhaled slowly, "It was..." Scott paused for a moment, from the corner of his eye, brow furrowing as he searches for the words "You and Allison know a lot about guns" he says in the end  
"Trips to the shooting range" Stiles replied with a shrug "Fun for the whole family" he added sarcastically  
"You never mentioned it" Scott replied quietly  
"It's not really something you go around bragging about Scott" Stiles said, glancing out of his window as his house came into view, Stiles swallowed the lump in his throat  
"But you never mentioned it, you and Allison never mentioned it"  
"I'm sorry" Stiles replied, and he meant it, they were best friends, he, Allison and Scott are best friends, practically inseparable from the day they had all met, they had been the people he had turned to after Peter had bit him and there was a whole chapter of their lives that he doesn't even know about, guilt suddenly overwhelms him. Fingers curling around the steering wheel of his Jeep tighter "I'm sorry” he says again" he looks back over to Scott and- yeah, he looks hurt, incredibly hurt, but there's something soft in his eyes, the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips and Stiles knows that he understands, Scott's kind like that, and Stiles knows that Scott's forgiven him for not telling him, Scott always sees the best in people, it's one of the things he loves about him  
Stiles gives Scott another look before focussing back on the road  
"There's more I don't know isn't there?"  
Stiles sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face "Yeah"  
"Will you tell me?"  
"One day, yeah" Stiles nodded "It's just..."  
"Allison"  
"Yeah" Stiles pulled up and turned to Scott "Allison, it's her life too"  
Scott nodded "You should get back to her"  
"Yeah" Stiles tapped his steering wheel for a few moments  
"Stiles, promise me one thing"  
"What?" Stiles turned and met Scott's careful gaze  
"You won't go after Chris-"  
"I can't promise that Scott, I already told him I would put a bullet through his brain if he broke Allison, she seems pretty broken"  
Scott looked pleadingly at Stiles, reaching out to grab his arm "Please Stiles"  
"I _can't_ Scott. He let Gerard torture Allison, I can't let them get away with that"  
"Have you spoken to Allison about it?"  
"You know I haven't Scott" Stiles runs a hand over his head "We're treading on eggshells here, look at what we know, they tortured her, they beat the shit out of her, held her head under water and _electrocuted_ her" his hands clench the steering wheel, knuckles turning white, he feels Scott's eyes on him as he closes his eyes, he took a long breath and held it as the images of watching Allison, beaten and bloody, body arching as the taser was held against her, the sound of her screams echoed in his mind "She's already developing PTSD and it's still setting in"  
"You're saying it's going to get worse aren't you?"  
"Yeah, you saw the way her hands were shaking earlier right?" Stiles asked, Scott responded with a small nod "Yeah, expect that more"  
"How do we help?"  
"I- I don't have much experience with PTSD"  
"How different is it from a panic attack?"  
"Very"  
"So what do we do?"  
"I'm not sure Scott, I’m kinda playing this by ear here" Stiles watched the students begin to move towards the school "You should go, you'll get your ass kicked if you're late"  
Scott laughed, smile brightening "Yeah, I should" he nodded "I'll update the others, don't do anything stupid"  
"I'm offended that you would think that I would" Stiles smirked, hand moving to the ignition key and starting the engine as Scott pushed open the door  
"I'll see you later"  
"Yeah, later"  
Stiles watched Scott climb from the car and sat in thought for a few moments, his mind drifting to the drive to the school. Realisation slowly dawned on him as he reversed out of his spot  
He hadn't seen Chris' car when they had passed the house

 

Lydia had sensed Derek pull up outside, she glanced to where Allison was appearing back in the doorway, shaky hands trying to grip onto two unopened cans of soda, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she clearly tried to still her hands, Allison had almost reached Lydia and was already moving to hand Lydia the can when Derek knocked the door, loudly, Lydia felt a fresh wave of guilt as Allison visibly jumped, both cans falling from her hands as her heartbeat spiked, fear radiating off of her body, Lydia's hand shot out and grabbed the nearest can before it hit the ground, moving up and reaching for Allison's bicep with the other  
"It's only Derek" she said quietly, rubbing her hand up and down Allison's arm "I'm sorry, I should have said"  
Allison closed her eyes for a moment to take a few deep breaths  
"Are you okay?"  
Allison nodded slowly, opening her eyes once more and responding with a shaky smile  
"Okay" Lydia pressed the can into Allison's hand as they both eyed the one by their feet "We'll give that one to Derek" She added with a smirk earning a small smile from Allison. She squeezed Allison's arm once more and moved out of the living room, pulling open the front door, barely sparing a glance at the alpha before turning back to where Allison is still standing, eyes closed and breathing deeply, Lydia glanced back at Derek, he raised an eyebrow in question but said nothing as Lydia moved over to her, hands moving up Allison's arms  
"You good?"  
Allison nodded, opening her eyes and meeting Lydia's eyes, Lydia smiled, the most reassuring thing about this entire situation was that Allison still met her gaze, she could still hold Lydia's eye and she knew the fear behind them wasn't directed at her, it was just a residual effect of the torture.  
Silently, Allison moved to pick up the can she had dropped from it's place on the table and offered it out to Derek  
"How are you feeling?" Derek asked politely, Allison tugged Lydia down onto the sofa  
"Surviving" Allison mumbled  
"What're you doing here?" Lydia asked  
"Where's Stiles?"  
"He took Scott to school"  
Derek nodded and settled down into the chair opposite them, opening the soda, beside her, Allison made a sound of disappointment, Lydia glanced at her with a smirk and nudged the girl gently with her elbow, the grin Allison responded with made Lydia's heart flutter, she made a conscious decision to count every time she saw those dimples, she would see it as a blessing  
Honestly, it really was  
"Have you heard or seen anything?" Lydia asked  
"I think Stiles was right, they're just watching us, waiting to see how we respond"  
"They're going to poke at us" Allison shifted closer towards Lydia, hands clenched, knuckles whitening  
"If they know what's good for them, they'll back off of you" Lydia replied sharply  
Allison ducked her head and sighed quietly "I don't think I’m out of the game just because I’m injured"  
Lydia shared a look with Derek, that wasn't the first time she had heard this be referred to as a game, it had been how Stiles had consistently referred to it, Lydia was willing to bet that if she could see Allison's eyes right now, she would see the same look Stiles had, cold, angry, distant  
Lost  
It was the kind of look that somebody got when they were recalling long lost memories  
Lydia hoped with all her heart that they weren't as bad as she was imagining them to be  
She knew she was being overly optimistic  
"As long as you can still walk, still move, still think. As long as you have something to offer, you're still in the game" Allison added after a moment. She lifted her head slowly and tilted her head in Lydia's direction "He doesn't want me out, there was so much he could have done that would put me out but he didn't, nothing he's done to me-" Allison's voice caught in her throat, her nails dug into her sweatpants, Lydia felt her heart sky-rocket, Lydia reached for Allison's hand, tensing as Allison jolts at the initial touch "Nothing he's done to me is permanent" Allison muttered through a shaky breath, blinking as tears filled her eyes, Lydia picked up on the lie, but she knew better than to call Allison out on it, Allison was trying to convince herself that the torture wouldn't have a long-term effect on her, but the fact remains that Allison is trembling like a leaf and Lydia knows this is PTSD, wishes she knew more about it (she makes a mental note to look into some books when she gets a chance) she knows that this is just the start of it, that this is going to be something Allison is going to have to deal with for potentially years to come  
She wasn't going to deal with it alone, she had Stiles  
She had Scott  
She had Lydia  
Lydia had no intention of leaving Allison alone to deal with this  
Lydia picked up the distinct sound of Stiles' Jeep approaching, his heart keeping a quick yet steady beat  
"Stiles is back" She squeezes Allison's hand  
Allison squeezes back but makes no attempt to move  
Stiles lets himself in, kicking the door shut behind him  
"Do you have a key or something?" Lydia frowned  
Stiles steps into the living room, holding a key in his hand "I had one made"  
"Same" Allison laughed under her breath  
Stiles glances at Derek but focuses on dropping down onto the sofa beside Allison, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against him into a hug, Allison's hand tightens around Lydia's as Lydia feels pain flare inside Allison  
"You've been gone for a long time" Lydia remarks casually  
 _That_ comment makes Stiles' heart pick up, only by a beat or two, but enough for Lydia to know it was significant  
"Yeah, I- uh, I went home"  
Allison yanked herself from Stiles with such force she collided into Lydia's side "You did what?!" She exclaimed  
"I didn't go in" Stiles held his hands up, wide eyed "I just parked down the street for a while"  
"Why?" Allison asked in disbelief, she still hadn't moved from where she was pressed against her  
"Chris' car wasn't there, I watched and I waited but I saw _nothing._ He wasn't there"  
"You're an idiot" Allison all but growls, slapping Stiles sharply on the arm "It could have been a trap"  
"But it wasn't"  
"But it could have been and taking a risk like that so close after what happened and-" Allison clenches Lydia's hand so tight she thinks for a moment it might break "You shouldn't have gone alone"  
Stiles got to his feet and stared down at Allison "I was in my car in broad daylight"  
"Like that would make a difference?" Allison mimicked his actions, letting go of Lydia's hand "Lydia got her car smashed up in the middle of the day, remember?"  
Stiles glanced past at her at Lydia before locking onto Allison once more "Why are you giving me such a hard time?!"  
Allison stared incredulously at Stiles for several moments before launching herself forward, arms wrapping around Stiles' neck and burying her head into the crook of his neck "Because you're my brother, because I fucking worry" and then so quiet Lydia can't help but think the words weren't meant for her ears "Because I don't want what happened to me to happen to you, to any of you"  
"I'm sorry" Stiles hooked his arms around her and Lydia felt that sharp flash of pain again, she glanced back to Derek who was alternating between watching the twins and focusing on Lydia "I wasn't thinking, I just" Stiles shook his head "I'm sorry"  
Allison pulled away "Please don't do that again"  
"I won't" Stiles replied, he finally acknowledged Derek's presence in the room "So before all of that, what were we talking about?"  
"Derek was saying how he thinks you're right in your theory of Gerard playing a game with us" Lydia explained, the look Stiles gave Allison did nothing to ease the worry in her gut, they both sat back on the sofa with her, a considerable distance between the two of them  
"I was telling them that just because of what happened to me, it doesn't take me out of the game"  
"If anything you're just in a temporary time out," Stiles agreed "You're probably good for the next few days though"  
"But none of this is good for you guys"  
"Actually" Stiles taps his hand against his knee "I think Derek is the only one in the room at risk of being prodded with the metaphorical stick"  
"How do you mean?"  
"Okay" Stiles shifted forward "It's like a mind game, lower the guard of the enemy by planting the seed"  
"The seed?" Lydia asked  
"Doubt, anger, fear, any negative emotion really" Allison added when she caught Lydia's gaze "The most common method is to threaten the enemy with something or someone they love and they'll react erratically, less focused on logic, more focused on just making sure that person is safe" Allison is playing with her hands in an attempt to hide the way her hands are shaking more than Lydia has seen them before. Lydia shares a look with Stiles, it's something they can both relate to and Allison was right, the way both her and Stiles had reacted (were still reacting, lets be honest) the way she had behaved when in the midst of Allison's kidnapping had been dangerous to say the least, she had been nothing short of manic, it was a miracle nobody had died  
But Allison catches Lydia's eye and she sees something there, a fleeting look that leaves Lydia wondering about the memory she's recalling  
"What's the other method?" Derek asked, breaking them all from their stupor  
"What?" Allison's head snapped towards the alpha  
"You said the 'most common method' that suggests there's another" Derek explained  
"Anger" Stiles had his hands clasped together, head down  
Allison glanced back at Lydia, a certain sadness suddenly present  
“How do you mean anger?” Derek asked  
Allison opened her mouth to speak, Stiles beat her to it and when he spoke, his words sounded cold and hollow “They hit your insecurities, push every button.” He clenched his fists “They belittle you constantly, call you names, make you feel like shit, they push and they push and they just keep going and they don't stop until you just _snap_ ” he grits out “And you don’t realise they won until it's too late” Stiles' knuckles are turning white   
“What do you mean?” Lydia asked, her eyes were locked on how Allison's nails were digging into her thighs, balls of her feet bouncing against the carpet “What do you mean too late?” Neither of the twins speak for a long time, both of their hearts are beating so fast, so out of sync it was deafening “Stiles. What did you mean by too late?” she pressed  
Stiles is looking at his hands now “It happened in a heartbeat, one minute you're fine and the next...” His voice is strained “The next all you see is red and all you can hear is the heartbeat in your ears” He slams his hand down on his knee, Allison jolts, heart rate spiking suddenly, Lydia grabs for Allison's hand as the brunette scrambles to her feet Stiles' head buried in his hands  
“I think that's enough” Derek spared a glance at Stiles and was on his feet and moving towards Allison, Lydia was frozen, everything had shifted so suddenly she had almost missed it, Stiles rocking backwards and forwards struggling for breath, nails digging into his skull as he fights for breath  
“Allison” Derek has his hands on her shoulders “Allison, breathe” He urges and Lydia can hear genuine worry in his voice, his eyes meet hers “Lydia, what do we do?”  
Lydia took a deep breath, looked between the twins, “Switch with me” Lydia got her feet, grabbing Allison and spinning her around and taking her face in her hands “I'm here Alli, it's okay, just breathe okay?” Allison's eyes are wide and filled with terror as tears begin to stream down her cheeks  
“Stiles, focus on my voice” Derek's voice could be heard behind her   
Allison's breathing started to become more forced as her legs gave out, Lydia followed her down, until Allison's head was buried in her neck “I've got you Allison” Lydia pressed her lips into her hair “How do we help Stiles?”  
“Stiles you need to breathe”  
“Scott” Allison breathed out against Lydia's neck “You need to call Scott”   
Lydia looked up and met Derek's eyes and pulled Allison closer to her  
What the fuck had Chris done to them?

 

 

 


	7. If I fall will you hold on to me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you thinking about?” Lydia asks quietly  
> Allison swallows, her gaze unwavering “You”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from "Hard to find" By Skillet

Scott's phone vibrated in his pocket, he felt Erica and Boyd's eyes on him immediately, glancing up at the teacher quickly he ducked down and answered it  
“Hello?” He whispered, immediately, he could hear the combined panicked breathing of both Stiles and Allison over everything else, Lydia whispering words of comfort to Allison  
“We can't calm Stiles down” Derek's voice broke through the chaos  
Scott glanced at Erica  
“Go” She nodded  
Scott didn't need any further convincing, he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he moved between the desks, ignoring the teachers questions  
“What happened?” Scott tried not to run through the hallway  
“They were talking about Gerard, about the way he does things-” Derek stops, Scott hears him ask Lydia about what had been said, only for her to tell Scott to get there quickly “Look, Lydia is trying to bring Allison down, if she does then we can get Stiles back but....”  
“But what?” Scott was running now  
Derek seemed to hesitate “Just get here”  
Scott hung up the phone, he was sprinting now

  
“Come on Allison” Lydia cupped her cheeks “Come on, you have to breathe” she swiped her thumbs under Allison's eyes to wipe away the tears, her eyes unfocused “Alli, please, you need to focus on me” Lydia pleaded, the twins heartbeats were pounding in her eardrums, unsynchronised and erratic  
“Lydia, what do I do?” Derek was hovering in front of Stiles  
“I don't know what triggered it” Lydia shook her head, “Come on Allison, breathe with me”  
“Yeah Stiles, follow my breathing”  
Lydia was having trouble focussing on both of the twins _and_ instructing Derek, getting Allison to calm down was key, then she could bring Stiles down  
“Allison” Lydia said in a firm voice “I'm going to move you okay? We're going into a different room”  
She expected protest, some kind of resistance but instead, was met with Allison pushing herself into Lydia's arms, Lydia walked them both backwards until they were out of the room, Allison stumbling as they go, Lydia manages to turn them so she can let them both drop to the ground, Allison's back colliding heavily and Lydia feels a surge of pain from the girl- that alone seems to bring Allison back enough to focus on Lydia  
“Hey, hey, I’m here” Lydia strokes her hands through Allison's hair “I need you to breathe with me okay? Can you do that?” Allison swallowed thickly, her hands closing around Lydia's wrists, holding her in place. Allison's eyes don't falter from her own again, as they breathe together Lydia lets herself listen in on the boys in the next room, how Derek is trying to mimic Lydia's actions and getting a similar result from Stiles  
Lydia focuses her attention back on Allison, searches those eyes for any signs of what had triggered this, she listens to Allison's heartbeat, listens to it begin to even out, feels Allison's body go lax, grip loosening around her wrists as she relaxes against the wall. Allison closes her eyes and Lydia waits patiently, doesn't move from her kneeling position between Allison's legs, doesn't dare breathe for as long as those eyes are closed  
When her eyes open once more, Allison's eyes are clear, an edge of fear behind them  
“Hey” Allison whispers  
Lydia breathes out a sigh of relief “There's my girl” she says, letting her forehead fall and rest against Allison's, Stiles' breathing is evening out, he's coming down- Lydia makes a note to congratulate Derek when they get a chance “You scared me for a minute there”  
Allison lets out a shaky breath that Lydia feels against her lips “I'm sorry”  
Lydia shakes her head and pulls back, settling down on her ankles “Don't apologise” She watches Allison for a moment “Do you want to go back in?”  
The fear in Allison's eyes grows as she shakes her head. Lydia waits for a moment for a response, only to receive silence  
“C'mon” Lydia pulls away more, Allison seems hesitant “Kitchen” Lydia gestures with a nod in it's direction. Allison glances past her at the living room but allows Lydia to pull her to her feet, stays impossibly close for the short journey, Allison hops onto the counter and looks impossibly small and fragile as Lydia moves around the kitchen, Scott had shown her the day before where everything was and had instructed her to help herself whenever it was needed  
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lydia asked, setting a juice box down beside Allison. Allison takes it and jabs the straw in viciously “I want to” she replies quietly  
“Do you trust me?” Lydia asked  
Allison's head snapped up, hand shooting out and grabbing Lydia's wrist, her eyes locking onto Lydia's  
“With my life” Allison says, and it's in the way she says it, in the intensity of her eyes and Lydia knows she really believes in that “But I _can't_ ” she drops Lydia's wrist and she's back to looking afraid, trying desperately to stay rooted and focused on Lydia “I can't. Not yet, it...”  
Lydia nots, she understands, she can read Allison well enough “Okay, when you're ready. I'm here, you know I’m here”  
Allison nods and slides off of the counter, moving close into Lydia's space and she doesn't even hesitate, not any more, she opens her arms and can't help the small smile when Allison walks into them, their bodies fitting together with ease, Allison's arms wrap around her shoulders and cling tightly, shaking slightly  
“Is Stiles okay?” she asks after a moment  
Lydia pauses to listen, he isn't speaking, his heart is still beating faster than she would like but-  
“Yeah” Lydia replied “He's okay”  
Allison nods against her shoulder   
“Allison?”  
“Hm?”  
“I'm not going anywhere, you know that, right?”  
Allison doesn't reply, she just holds on tighter

 

Stiles hates the way Derek is watching him, as though he's convinced that Stiles is going to break again, he thinks he actually sees _fear_ behind the alphas eyes  
It's almost laughable  
Almost  
They think he hasn't noticed the way they watch him now, the way his words are met with hesitant glances. He had spotted it in Lydia's eyes outside the bathroom, the way the wolves were looking at him while he spoke about the hunters  
He made them uncomfortable  
Allison was terrified of him, he knew it the moment he slammed his fist down on his knee, the moment Lydia had to physically _move_ her from the room to be able to bring her down from the panic attack  
That had been almost ten minutes ago and she still hadn't come back into the room, he expected as much, the floodgates were open and everything they've been trying to forget is coming back with such force it had knocked them off axis  
And Stiles could feel it creeping back in, the darkness that he locked away so safely away, for so many years it had been gone and he and Allison had returned to a sense of normalcy  
And it had been so easy to pretend like nothing had ever happened, it had become easier to try and become normal for a few years, Kate went back to wherever she always went when she wasn't staying with them and the house was always that little quieter after mom died  
And eventually, Allison stopped looking so scared, lost herself in gymnastics and archery and he focused on Scott  
They were normal  
They could be normal  
Even when Scott was bitten and Peter came along, he could keep a hold on himself, he was focused on Scott, on Peter and Allison was focused on keeping Lydia safe (he still can't  
think about the look on Allison's face when she realised she had failed, the look on her face when she realised she had played straight into Kate's hands)  
But he had held it together   
A part of him was even _happy_ when Kate died. And he knew Allison felt the same, even if they never did talk about it. Instead, they played the role perfectly, they let themselves act grieved around their peers, in front of their teachers, in front of the sheriff. They focused on showing their anger at what she did to the Hales when around Scott   
But they never talked about it, they never had to  
But Gerard had come along and in the space of just over a weekend, had managed to undo almost ten years of progress  
He had opened the floodgates  
And Stiles could feel it  
Stiles dug his nails into his palms and got up from his seat, Derek watched him curiously  
“What are you doing?” he asked  
“I need to get out of here”  
Derek frowned “You can't leave, it's not safe”  
“I can't stay here” Stiles shook his head, he can't stay still, he needs to move, needs to be distracted, needs to do _something._ He grabs his keys from where he had thrown them “I have to do something”  
“Stiles” Allison says quietly and Stiles turns and faces the girl, watches how she unconsciously takes a step closer to Lydia so the redhead is stood almost in front of her, how her hands are trembling so much, he can see them shaking from across the room, he sighs inwardly, he remembers when she used to seek him out for safety “You can't go” her voice barely above a whisper  
Stiles stares at her for a moment and waits, waits for her to look at him   
When she finally does, she takes a few steps forward, away from Lydia and towards him “You can't” and then she drops her eyes again  
 She can't even look at him  
“I have to. There's something I need to find” He replies, a distraction, something that's been on his mind more for a few days, it'll be a good distraction. He looks past Allison at Lydia, sees how her expression is a mix of curiosity and distrust, when it becomes clear that Allison isn't going to look at him again, he lets out a sigh and turns to the door  
“What do you need to find?” Allison asks as he's about to step out of the door, he turns to face her once more and she must not like the expression on his face because he sees her eyes widen, sees her take a step back and Lydia instantly move closer to his sister   
“la vérité” he says as he leaves them behind

  
  
Lydia doesn't know what to make the situation, she doesn't know what is going on with the twins, doesn't know what happened to trigger the panic attack, doesn't know what they were both seeing in their mind (part of her isn't sure she _wants_ to know), she doesn't know why her wolf had reacted to seeing the way Allison's entire body had tensed up when Stiles had looked at her  
But what she did know was that Allison was scared, scared of what, she doesn't know  
Allison was still staring at the door he had walked out of, Lydia took a few steps forward and set her hand on the brunettes shoulder  
“Allison?”  
“Yeah”  
“What does la vérité mean?” Lydia frowns at her pronunciation, somehow she knows Allison won't mind  
Allison sighs and turns around, Lydia lets her hand fall back to her side as she studies Allison's eyes carefully, looking for any hints  
“The truth”  
“The truth about what?” Derek speaks up  
“Did you call Scott?” She replies instead  
Derek nodded “He should be here by now”  
“He hasn't got a ride though remember, Stiles drove him today so he's probably on foot” Lydia added quickly. Allison nods slowly but she still looks unsure, her hands are balled up in fists at her sides, shaking oh so slightly, Lydia doesn't hesitate, she takes Allison's hands in her own and rubs her thumb along scraped knuckles “We'll send Scott after him okay?”  
Allison nods, steps closer and rests her head against Lydia's shoulder  
“What do you need?” Lydia asked, sharing a brief look with Derek  
A long pause and a few shaky breaths later, she thinks she feels Allison smile against her neck  
“Some stupid chick flicks perhaps?” Allison muttered  
Lydia couldn't help the breathy laugh, she nudged Allison's head with her own “I think we can make that work”  


He had been running for almost five minutes when a voice across the street called his name. Scott froze immediately, body instinctively going on the defence as he sought out the source of the voice, his eyes falling on Chris and Gerard  
“Shouldn't you be at school?”  
Scott shrugged “I'm needed elsewhere”  
“With Stiles and Allison”  
Scott stared him down but nodded nonetheless  
“And how is sweet little Allison doing?” Gerard asked, smiling  
“She's fine”  
“Then why are you in such a hurry?”  
Scott looked around “Well” he scratched his head “I'm not overly fond in hanging around people who want me dead, even less the two people who tortured my best friend”  
Gerard laughs “Chris didn't torture Allison”  
“No, but he played a part” Scott focuses on Chris “You let him take her, you're just as bad as him”  
“Watch what you say” Chris warned  
“Or what? You'll shoot me? Right here?” Scott glanced around at the people walking by “Go ahead”  
“The twins bravado Is certainly rubbing off on you” Gerard says simply  
“We have a lot in common” Scott turns and begins to walk away  
“Tell me Scott” Gerard calls to him, tone almost lazy “What does your _mother_ think of the whole thing?”  
Scott freezes once more and turns back to the men “She has nothing to do with this”  
Gerard hums “You can't hide them there forever Scott, they'll have to come home sooner or later”  
“Anywhere is better than with you”  
“Answer me something Scott” Gerard steps towards him “You've known Allison and Stiles for years, if Allison was stupid enough to fall in love with one of your kind, is Stiles?”  
Scott's breath got caught in his throat, “I don't know what you're talking about” he replies through gritted teeth  
“I think you do, her unwavering loyalty to that redhead” Gerard practically spits the words “Her willingness to shoot her own father for her, her sickening dedication to not give me the information I needed”  
“What is your goal Gerard?” Scott asked “Why are you dragging this out?”  
Gerard responded with a too wide smile that didn't sit right on his face, the entire image made Scott's gut twist uncomfortably “Tell your mother we said hi”  
  
  
  
Allison had been drifting, her head had somehow made it into Lydia's lap minutes after the film had started, she had let Lydia choose and she had opted for Sixteen Candles, Allison had never seen it and honestly she wasn't paying much attention, more focused instead, on the way Lydia's fingers were carding through her hair while her other hand trails patterns along her arm  
She never feels quite as cold when she's touching or being touched by Lydia, she doesn't understand how it works, why Lydia's touch leaves her burning and alive  
And Allison knows that this isn't something that normal best friends do  
But they're not normal  
And she and Lydia have been something more than best friends for a while, she doesn't realise how it took so long for her to realise because now her feelings for Lydia feel like the most obvious feeling Allison has ever experience, it's the only thing that seems to make sense to her now  
But she feels guilty, she doesn't know Lydia's feelings and despite everything that's happened between them, she doesn't know where Lydia stands  
Because she knows she kissed Lydia that night and that Lydia knows about it, and she _knows_ she wasn't dreaming last night, that Lydia was going to kiss her  
But what would Lydia want with her? She was damaged goods, her body was covered in cuts that she knew were going to become ugly scars, her burn would remain with her forever and yeah, Lydia was being supportive now, but how long until Lydia gets sick of the shaking hands? The panic attacks, she wouldn't blame Lydia if she got sick of them, Allison was.  
She couldn't think like that though  
The reason she had asked to watch a movie was to pull her out of the memories that had brought her to her knees just a little while ago, it was supposed to be a distraction from all of that  
The memories made her arm ache, just a ghost of a pain from where she remembers the bone breaking through the skin  
Allison closes her eyes tighter  
She pushes the thoughts back, she _can't_ think about it  
Lydia's hand moves through her hair until it comes to a rest at the side of her head and Allison locks onto the feeling, the way Lydia's thumb rubs idly against her skull  
She needs to stop letting herself think about what ifs, Lydia is _here._ Right now, Lydia is here with her  
Allison focuses on that, on Lydia  
Always Lydia  
She's never met anybody like her and Allison highly doubts she'll ever meet somebody who would even come close to Lydia   
Lydia's hand stops on Allison's arm and normally she wouldn't blink twice at the gesture, but it was _where_ she had stopped  
Allison opens her eyes only to be met with curious green eyes, she can feel Derek watching them both, she wasn't even sure why he was still there- Lydia had told him he could go, but the alpha had steadfastly refused. Lydia didn't bother to fight him for it  
Allison suspected it was to do with the fact that Lydia was exhausted, it was impossible to miss it, it was in the way Lydia moved, normally so quick and agile, now hesitant and somewhat stiff  
Allison could see it in her eyes for the most part, in the way there are bags beginning to form underneath them or in the way that her eyes seem dull, it's so slight Allison isn't even sure Derek has picked up on it  
He doesn't spend most of his time looking at those eyes   
Allison stares up at her, lets her attention drift briefly to where Lydia's hand is resting on her arm, on her scar. And she remembers that day clearly, colliding face first into the wall, the sound of the bone snapping and the way her scream had gotten caught in her throat because the pain was _that_ intense, the way she had dropped to the ground, twisting and pressing her back to the wall, clutching at her arm and trying desperately not to throw up. Meeting the steady gaze of her father and aunt Kate before finally landing on Stiles, watching him stand a few feet away, eyes shifting from something foreign to full of terror as realisation at what had happened washed over him  
That memory should be sending her into a panic attack, she shouldn't be able to pull herself from it so easily   
She thinks it's to do with Lydia  
The feather-light touch on her arm, the hand in her hair, steady green eyes watching her. Everything about Lydia seems to anchor Allison, ground her in reality of the moment  
She owes Lydia so much  
“What are you thinking about?” Lydia asks quietly  
Allison swallows, her gaze unwavering “You”   
Lydia blinks, surprise flashing in her eyes “Me?”   
Derek clears his throat pointedly “Scott's here” Lydia's gaze only leaves her briefly to look up at the alpha, raise an eyebrow and nod, she hears Derek get up and move from the room but Allison doesn't dare look away   
“What about me?” Lydia asks, an edge of hesitance to her voice Allison doesn't know what to do with  
Allison shakes her head slightly, where does she even begin to start? “I just wanted to say thank you” she decides on eventually  
The dazzling smile Lydia responds with makes it worth it  
“Allison!” Scott all but crashes into the room, Allison shoots up, Lydia's hand moving down to her hand, stilling her “Where did he go?”  
Allison feels Lydia shift slightly beside her and Allison uses the shift to her advantage and leans against Lydia's shoulder, ignoring the pain in her back to the best of her ability- she makes a mental note to go use some of the ointment Deaton had given her soon  
“I don't know” Allison replied  
“What did he mean by finding the truth?!” Even to Allison Scott seemed on edge, she was blaming it on Stiles being gone but there was a hint of doubt somewhere in the back of her mind (She thinks it has to do with the way Derek is looking at Scott)   
“Scott, you need to stay calm” Lydia says, voice even  
Scott gives her an incredulous look “I can't believe you just said that” Allison frowns at his words, feeling as though she's missing out on something important, she twists around to look at Lydia, raising an eyebrow in question, Lydia purses her lips and gives a brief shake of her head. She turns back to Scott, watches him run a hand through his hair and take a deep breath. He crosses the space between them and kneels in front of Allison “Think Allison, what could it be?  
She runs a hand along her arm, lets it linger on her scar  
Her own touch doesn't bring the same level of comfort as Lydia's does  
She knows it has nothing to do with that, they both know what happened that day, there's nothing left to find  
“I- I don't know” Allison shakes her head, “Don't you know? He tells you everything”  
Scott gives her a _look_ “I think you and I both know that isn't true” And even though there's no malice, nothing in his tone to show anger, his words make Allison's breath catch  
“But..” he makes a sound “Your mom”   
Allison feels herself go cold and grips Lydia's hand, she can't think about that, not on top of all of this “What about her?” Allison whispers  
Scott stands up and scratches the back of his neck “We were talking, it was while you were-” he cuts himself off as he meets her eyes “I don't think he believes the official report”   
Allison shakes her head, she can't think about this, but this is Stiles they're talking about. Her _brother.  
_ Lydia must sense something because a hand presses itself in the small of her back and Allison feels herself instantly relax   
“If that is what he's gone to find out. Where would he go?” The redhead asks  
Scott looks panic stricken “He wouldn't go to Chris..” He looks at Allison “Would he?”  
Allison wants to say no, she wanted to believe that he wouldn't, but she had seen the look in his eye, she could tell just from a glance where his mind was slipping  
But she had to believe in him. She shakes her head   
“Try the sheriffs station” Lydia suggested “We'll keep trying to call him okay?”  
Scott nodded, he dropped down to one knee briefly and pressed a kiss to Allison's temple “I'm gonna keep him safe okay?”  
Allison forced a smile and nodded, if anyone can keep Stiles from the bad place, it's Scott.   
Scott flashes her a smile, gives Lydia a look she can't decipher before he's out of the house again, taking his bike this time  
Allison ducks her head and forces the air into her lungs  
She can't think about her mom  
She _can't_

 _  
_A knock at the window jolted Stiles from his haze, he turns to see the sheriff staring at him with soft eyes. Stiles swallows and rolls the window down  
“Are you okay there?” The sheriff asked, he blinked at Stiles a few times “You're Argent's boy aren't you?”  
Stiles nodded  
“Are you okay? You've been parked out here for the last twenty minutes”  
Stiles turned his head back to the steering wheel “I guess I zoned out for a while” he probably shouldn't have said that to the Sheriff, not when he's sat behind the wheel of the car, the man doesn't comment on it, instead, he opens the door to the Jeep  
“Come inside son, you can tell me what happened”  
Stiles nods, pulling his seatbelt off and sliding from his seat, following the Sheriff towards the station  
They had only met once prior to Scott being bitten and that had been a few days after the death of his mother, Stiles and Allison hadn't been allowed back home at first so Melissa had agreed to take them in while Chris dealt with the whole thing, it had been the night before the funeral, Allison and Stiles had been stood together, wide eyed and visibly shaking  
He remembers the way Chris had acted as though the Sheriff was an old friend, offering him a scotch as they moved through the house. He remembers the Sheriff's smile, warm and apologetic as he asked how he and Allison were doing. How Allison had shifted oh so slightly so she was stood behind Stiles, he had locked eyes with Chris and forced a nod- he didn't trust his own voice  
The Sheriff made him feel safe, Allison's hand in his own made him feel safe  
Kate's hand on his shoulder, the way the touch felt so cold he could feel it in his bones, spreading through him, nails digging into the soft flesh, the whimper from Allison didn't make it easier  
It didn't make him feel safe  
“Drink this” the sheriff set a paper cup in front of him, Stiles glanced around, realising he was sat opposite the Sheriff's desk- honestly, he hadn't even realised he was sitting down. He reaches for the cup, the sudden warmth seeping through his skin, the coffee is bitter, but it forces him to stay focused, keep his eyes on the man sitting opposite him  
“Stiles, are you okay? Did something happen?”  
The sheriff doesn't know about werewolves, of course he doesn't. But there has been plenty of death lingering around Stiles and Allison for him to take note of it  
It started with their mother and so far has ended with Kate  
So far  
He had every right to be hesitant  
Stiles set the cup down in front of him “I want to see the report of my mothers death”  
The Sheriff stared at him for a long moment, Stiles refused to flinch under his gaze, he clenches and unclenches his fists, focusing on the sensations it brought him  
“You know I can't do that Stiles”  
“Why not?”  
“You're sixteen years old”  
“I have a right to that report” Stiles clenched his fists. Breathe. One, two, don't forget to breathe “I have a right to know” he adds  
The Sheriff frowned “You know what happened”  
“I know what I was told, I want to read it for myself”  
“I'm not allowed to give you access to that file Stiles. You need your father to come down to request it, I could call him if you-”  
Stiles shook his head sharply “That won't be necessary,” The sheriff raised an eyebrow “I-I mean, it's still hard for him to talk about you know? I just thought that maybe if I read the file, me and Allison could move on”  
“How is Allison?”  
“She's fine” The words taste like bile, he can't even remember the last time he told a lie that obvious. Allison was barely holding herself together, clinging to whatever she could to hold herself back from tipping over the edge, falling apart from the inside out  
And Stiles had made things so much worse, he had dragged up the past, sure, Deaton had started it by bringing up the break, sure, Lydia had asked him (and no doubt Allison) but _he_ had been the one to bring up the past, the feelings, to bring up the darkness  
Flashes of Chris' face, standing tall, barking orders, Kate's smirk, his mothers cold gaze, Allison's trembling figure, bloodied knuckles and blistered fingers  
“Stiles?” The words sound distant, the air thick around him. Stiles knows what's happening, he's on the verge of another attack, can't pull himself out of it  
His mothers coffin disappearing into the ground, Allison's sharp breathing, tears streaming down her cheeks, archery classes, self defence class, days in the shooting range, weekends in the forest, studying guns, blood, blood, blood  
Fresh bruises, split knuckles  
"Stiles? Do you need me to call someone? Allison? Your dad?"  
Stiles is aware that he's shaking his head, a sharp movement that feels like a bullet to the brain  
He's just so _angry  
_ They should have told someone, they should have told Scott, Melissa, the fucking sheriff  
Anybody  
Maybe none of this would have happened then  
Everything would be so different  
He could say something now, it would be so easy, the sheriff is staring at him and Stiles just wants to make Chris bleed  
A hand on his shoulder snaps him out of it, soft words that feel like a distant call breaking through the onslaught of memories  
His heart sounds like a drum in his ears  
He sees the Sheriff reaching for his phone, Stiles doesn't realise what he's doing until his finger is on top of the receiver, preventing any attempts of making a call  
"Don't call my dad" Stiles says and he even _sounds_ manic "You can't call him"  
"Stiles, I think you need someone to come and get you, is everything okay at home?"  
Stiles was beginning to fight for breath, nails digging into his palms, he could say something, should say something really, but how could he?  
He couldn't risk bringing him into it, dragging more people down into the darkness with them, Stiles and Allison had been involved from the start, not even aware of it, their entire upbringing was centred around becoming a part of this shit storm at some point, had it not been for Kate, Scott probably would have not been bitten, Lydia wouldn't have been bitten and Allison wouldn't be perpetually curled up in Lydia's arms as she fights off nightmare upon nightmare  
"We're coping" Stiles manages to say, he gives himself a pat on the back for being able to form words "I'm fine, just... give me the file, please"  
"Stiles, you know what happened, why do you need to read it? You know-"  
"I know she shot herself in the face while me and Allison were sleeping over at Scott's house, I know that she took her life and left us both here. I know that you guys took her body away and left us to clean up the mess" Stiles placed his palms on the desk and pushed himself to his feet, his words becoming sharper with every moment, his muscles tightening "I know that me and Allison avoid that basement at all costs because there's a fucking stain in the corner that the cleaners missed and we both know that it came from our mothers brains being splattered around the room" Stiles stares down at the sheriff, feeling the anger build with every word he says, a sudden burst of rage boils up within him, directed at Gerard- that had been why he did it, of course it was. It was genius, bringing Allison and Stiles into that room, forcing them to sit there while he talked to them. _Threatened_ them.  
It only fuelled his determination to make him pay  
"I know that something made her pull that trigger and I don't have the answers that I want. That I _need_ "  
There's a sound from outside, the sound of files being knocked over, heavy stacks of paper sliding to the floor, a hasty apology being stuttered out and Stiles knows that voice  
He would recognise it anywhere  
A heavy knock at the door and there isn't even a pause before the door is being pushed open  
"McCall?" The sheriff frowns slightly, glancing between a wide eyed Scott and Stiles, he seems confused but Stiles knows he isn't imagining the relief behind the sheriffs eyes  
"Sorry Sheriff, I came for Stiles"  
The boys words only seem to confuse the Sheriff even more, a plethora of questions on his lips, one more look at Stiles seems to quell them however "I think you should take him home"  
"I will" Scott says, Stiles turns to meet his eyes, Scott's own burning with questions he doesn't think he can avoid for much longer  


Lydia heard the sharp inhale from her spot on the sofa, she listened for Allison's breathing to even out before looking back at Derek, meeting the alphas eyes slowly  
"What?" she asked  
Derek glanced up at the ceiling and back down to Lydia "She's still in pain"  
"Yeah" Lydia pushed a hand through her hair, grimacing, she needs to shower, a change of clothes. But she needs for Allison to be okay, needs for her to not be locked in a bathroom while she tries to treat her injuries  
Injuries she won't even let them see  
The shower can wait  
"I take her pain whenever she lets me but it doesn't seem to touch it"  
Derek's lips curl down into a small frown, a slight hesitation to his eyes as he seems to debate against whether to say the words on the tip of his tongue "What is it?" She prompted  
"You can't take that kind of pain"  
"What do you mean?"  
"It's deeper than that, the injuries are skin deep"  
Lydia felt a tug in her heart, holding a hand up to silence him, "You're saying that the pain is in her mind"  
Derek settled back in his seat "Yes"  
Lydia pressed her palms into her eyes, pushing down any emotions lest she do something stupid like cry in front of Derek "She's reliving it all" Lydia's voice trembles oh so slightly, her brain recalls an image of Allison and Stiles a few hours ago, the pure terror she had felt from Allison, the distant look in her eyes, a reluctance to open up "She's reliving something else as well isn't she?" Lydia knew the answer, knew what she was saying was nothing short of the truth but she looked to Derek regardless, looking for validation  
Derek's nod was all she needed, sending a fresh wave of anguish through her "What do I do?" she asked  
"What you've been doing so far" Derek replied, he glances up at the ceiling at the same moment she does, hearing another spike in Allison's heart "Just be here for her, don't force anything"  
"What if she pushes me away?" Lydia asked quietly  
"She won't" Derek replied "Just be honest with her"  
Lydia gave him a sharp look "If you're referring to what I think you are-"  
"I wasn't" Derek glanced away for a brief moment "But it would be good for you both if you told her about the claim"  
"That's the last thing she needs on her plate right now Derek"  
"Are you sure? It might-"  
The conversation is interrupted by a sharp ring from upstairs, the chime of Allison's phone, they listen to Allison leave the bathroom, walk the short distance to Scott's room to retrieve her phone  
After a tense few moments Lydia hears Allison's heart settle  
"That's reassuring" Lydia mumbled "Scott must have Stiles"  
"You don't seem too concerned"  
"Scott has Stiles' back, Scott can keep him safe"  
"And you have Allison"  
Lydia listens to Allison begin the walk down the hallway and down the stairs "If she'll let me, yeah, I have Allison" Derek looked like he maybe had more to say, as though on the cusp of saying something more but turned his head at the last second, just as Allison rounded the corner, phone still clutched in her hand  
"Scott found Stiles" she says, Lydia does an automatic once over of Allison, eyes falling on where her shirt has bunched up above her left hip, a long jagged cut starting just at the waistband of her jeans and moving up until it disappears under the shirt, it looks older than it is, healing neatly, Lydia knows that the reason behind it is attributed to a combination of Deaton's ointment and the benefits of having a wolf take her pain. Allison doesn't even seem aware, clearly more distracted by the message on her phone than concealing her injuries, Lydia feels a stab of rage, has to fight against her wolf for control to keep her claws from slipping out  
"What did he say?" Derek asked, he eye's focused on Allison face, if he saw the cut he wasn't letting onto it  
Allison holds the phone in her right hand as she walks over to where Lydia is sat, sitting on her right side "Stiles was at the station... He was," Allison's features twisted into what was almost a grimace "He was in the middle of a panic attack" Lydia glances back at Allison's hip, reaching out to smooth the shirt down, Allison's head snaps to her, eyes flashing in panic, Lydia's hand closes over Allison's balled up fist, smiling as softly and reassuring as she can. Allison's jaw tightens briefly and for a moment Lydia is worried that Allison is going to retreat away from her that maybe Lydia should have left it alone, shouldn't have drawn attention to it, maybe Allison is going to think that Lydia covered up the cut because Lydia was disgusted by it  
But then Allison's muscles relax into a small smile, her fist unclenches and her hand shifts enough for Lydia's fingers to slip through the spaces  
Lydia suddenly doesn't feel as murderous as she had a few moments ago  
"Scott's going to bring him back later, Stiles..." Allison frowns again, shakes her head "He's not in a good place" she glances at Lydia again and there it is, that look again, barely concealed fear  
Her hands aren't shaking though, so Lydia takes it for what it is, it'll be short-lived, that much she knows. Scott's anxiety had been obvious the moment he stepped inside the house and judging by his expression there was more bothering him than the twins collective breakdown and Stiles' subsequent disappearance  
Any moment reprieve was greatly appreciated  
"So what do we do?" Allison asked, looking between Lydia and Derek  
"You need to rest" Derek says, Lydia was ready to agree, faltering when she saw the man staring at her, not Allison  
"I'm fine" Lydia replied  
"He's right Lyds" Allison said quietly, Lydia turned to face her  
"I'm fine"  
"You're not though" Allison squeezed her hand gently "When was the last time you slept?"  
Lydia paused, taking a moment to actually think back "I slept yesterday afternoon" she frowned at the thought, she hadn't intended for that to happen, she hadn't intended to sleep then "I feel fine"  
"The more you say it, the less convincing it sounds" Derek says, his voice vaguely commanding "While everything is quiet, go home, go shower, sleep and get a fresh change of clothes"  
"I'm not going home" Lydia snapped back immediately, that option was off the table, no question about it "I'm not leaving here" If she were to leave and something were to happen while she was gone... She doesn't think she could forgive herself  
"Derek's here Lyds" Allison shifts closer, her shoulder brushing against Lydia's "You don't have to go home, but you need to rest, I haven't seen you eat anything..." She lets her head fall against Lydia's shoulder "I can't watch you do this to yourself Lyds, you're driving yourself into the ground" she adds in a quieter voice  
There's no point in fighting it, when it comes to Allison she can't, she'll do what that girl says, she'll stay if Allison asks her to stay, she'll kill if Allison asked her to. Lydia would leave if Allison asked her to, no matter how much it hurt her  
"Come on Lyds," Allison says, sounding almost playful as she nudges her head against Lydia's shoulder "Just for a minute let me be the one to take care of you"  
It's almost an echo of the words she had spoken on the rooftop a few hours ago, Lydia lets a smile grace her features, lets her head rest on top of Allison's  
"Okay"  


"What's wrong?" Stiles asked, he doesn't remember much after Scott arrived at the station, remembers Scott leading him out and fastening him into the passenger seat of the Jeep  
He thinks that they drove in silence, if they hadn't, Scott didn't seem bothered by the situation, he actually seemed glad of it, the wolf looked almost as lost as Stiles felt, struggling to navigate the head space he found himself trapped in, every thread he followed led to uncovering more memories  
For the first time in years Stiles' fingers itched for a bow, a gun, anything solid in his hands  
He clenched his fists and pushed the thoughts back, using everything he had to focus on Scott,  
"I should be asking you that" Scott pointed out, he came to a stop outside the diner and switched the engine off, Stiles can't remember the last time he let someone else drive his Jeep, not even Allison had that kind of luck (Allison always argued that she wouldn't want to drive it anyway, it was a deathtrap- Stiles would scoff and flick her in the forehead)  
"Yeah, well humour me dude" Stiles unclenches his fists slowly and repeats the action a few more times, feeling the anger seep out in increments  
Scott twisted in Stiles' seat until he was facing him fully "I ran into your dad and Gerard when I was coming home for you" he admitted quietly  
"What?" Stiles reached out for Scott's wrist "Are you okay? What did they say? Did they try anything?" Stiles couldn't stop the words from spilling out, he lacked a filter on a good day and now? Well, forget about it  
"They didn't make a move, we were too open, too many people" Scott's was holding his hands together, knuckles cracking with the intensity "They threatened my mom"  
“They're not going to hurt her”   
“How do you know that?”   
Stiles sighed “I don't...” Scott flashed him a helpless look “We're not going to let that happen” Stiles grabbed either side of Scott's face “I promise you Scott . We aren't going to let your mom get hurt. No fucking way” Stiles shook his head sharply  
“I believe you” Scott replied “There's more though...”  
“I don't like that tone...” Stiles frowned  
“They know Allison is in love with Lydia”   
“What?”  
“Yeah” Scott tilted his head back “He said Allison was stupid to fall in love with one of my kind”   
Stiles slammed his fist down onto the dashboard “One of your kind?!” He twisted to stare at Scott “You're a fucking _person_ _._ Yeah, you happen to grow fur and fangs occasionally but you're a person! And I-” Stiles gritted his teeth and scrunched his eyes closed “He has no right to dictate who falls in love with who. He has no right to threaten you or your mother. He has no right to any of those things.”  
“Stiles”  
“What?”  
“You're hurting me”   
Stiles' eyes opened as he looked to where her still had one of his hands wrapped around Scott's wrist, he let go immediately   
“I'm sorry dude”  
“It's okay” Scott beamed “Wolf healing”   
Stiles smiled “I don't know how we're going to get through this Scott. All I know is that we have to keep each other safe”  
“Well, I’ve got your back to the end” Scott shrugs “Lydia's got Allison and you and Allison are inseparable”  
Stiles frowned, letting his head rest against the cool glass   
“Stiles”  
“Yeah?”  
“Why do you need to see the file?”  
Stiles forced himself to take a breath, he couldn't hide from Scott forever, Scott had a right to know everything and he knew that it was only a matter of time before everything came out, before Scott demanded to know, before Allison told Lydia  
“Because I think Chris murdered her”

  
  
They should have told someone  
They should have told Scott  
Allison sighed quietly, leaning back into the sofa and grimacing at the pain from her shoulders  
She still doesn't understand why they never told Scott, he was their best friend. He may not have understood, hell, it was only now Allison was really understanding why any of it happened, but he would have stood by them, he would have helped somehow  
Allison pushed a hand through her hair  
They should have told him  
She can't even begin to think about how to tell him now, how to tell Lydia and she knows it's inevitable. They're going to find out whether Allison tells them or not  
Especially with Stiles going off the deep end and Allison feeling like she might be ready to follow him over at the drop of a pin  
He was locking onto their mothers death, Scott's message said so, he had been asking for the file documenting her suicide.  
Allison couldn't think about it  
The flashes were coming back more and more, memories she worked so hard to lock away clawing their way to the surface and demanding to be heard  
Archery till her fingers bled  
Twisted ankles and sprained wrists from gymnastics  
Stiles dark eyes, Chris' gaze, Kate's smirk, her mothers coffin, broken bones and bloody knuckles  
Allison's fists clench, nails digging into her palms  
being held under the ice cold water, hanging from chains until her shoulders ached, the burn of flesh, the feel of electricity, the way the blade dragged through her flesh  
Allison's hand goes to her hip, to the gash Lydia had covered  
Lydia  
Lydia's eyes  
Allison felt a hand on her wrist and she wrenched her eyes open, coming face to face with Derek  
“You need to eat” He let go of her wrist and gestured to two plates on the coffee table in front of her, a sandwich on each plate and a juice box beside each one “Make sure Lydia eats, despite what she may think, werewolves are not invincible” He takes a seat and watches Allison for a moment, his attitude screams indifference, but Allison feels like she's gotten better at reading peoples eyes now, she can't read him the same way she can Lydia or Scott, but she sees the concern in his eyes  
She's thankful he didn't change the way he would normally treat her just because she was falling into a panic attack  
Allison smiles and it's only half forced as she takes the plates in both hands, balancing the juice boxes on top, her hands are shaking again and she barely looks back at the alpha as she makes her way towards the stairs, focusing solely on the items in her hands  
They're just plates after all  
Allison makes sure to keep her breathing even as she heads to Scott's room, she doesn't feel particularly hungry but she can't remember seeing Lydia eat yesterday and nothing is going to get better if they neglect to take care of themselves  
She hears the shower shut off as she reaches Scott's room, pushing the door open with a foot and setting the plates down beside the bed and taking a seat, drawing her knees up so she can rest her chin on them  
It's only when she feels eyes on her ten minutes later does she realise she's been staring into space this entire time  
She turns to see Lydia leaning against the door frame, eyes focused on her  
“Welcome back” Lydia greets with a smile, blinking several times, if Allison didn't know better, she'd think that for a moment there, Lydia was as lost as she was. Lydia approaches the bed, eyes flickering over the plates beside it “Did it not occur to Derek that I could hear everything he said?” she hands one of the plates to Allison as she settles down onto to bed opposite her “He's lucky I like cheese” she stares at Allison, seemingly expecting her to take the first bite, Allison complies, feeling a small feeling of triumph as Lydia matches her by beginning to eat  
“He pulled me out of a panic attack” Allison admits quietly, “well, the start of one anyway” it was half right, she remembers thinking about Lydia and her eyes before Derek had intervened. They both probably played a part in it  
Lydia nodded, tearing at the crust of her sandwich slightly “I heard” She looks up and meets Allison's eyes “I felt it” she added so quietly Allison wasn't even sure if Lydia had truly spoken  
They don't speak again, Allison choosing to focus on her food, on the point of contact where their knees meet  
She feels Lydia's eyes on her consistently for the entire time  
Allison finds herself constantly holding onto the notion that maybe, just maybe, Lydia needs Allison just as much as Allison finds herself needing her, her mind drifts back to Lydia's face during the torture, tear streaked and golden eyed as Allison fought for breath  
The memory makes her breath catch and her hand move to her chest, where the bruise rests, spread out and covering most of her chest  
She glances up to see Lydia watching with open concern  
The thing with Lydia is, she prompts, but she never pushes, even though Allison knows Lydia wants to know everything, wants to know what they did to her, what happened to her and Stiles  
But she doesn't force an answer from Allison  
She just opens her arms and lets Allison crash against her  
And Allison wants to tell her, wants to tell her everything, for as long as Lydia will listen, Allison wants to tell her and will gladly listen to anything and everything that the wolf will have to say  
She still needs to talk to Stiles first, a lot of what Allison needs to say involves Stiles and It wouldn't be fair to do so without at the very least telling him, hoping for his consent and him talking to Scott would also be nice, but one step at a time  
“I remembered being kicked in the chest” Allison offers, letting her hand move from her chest  
Lydia blinks at her, seemingly caught off guard by the admission, Lydia takes Allison’s now empty plate, along with her own and sets it down on the ground. She reaches over and takes Allison's hand again, pressing it against the bruise  
“I almost lost control watching that happen...I, I did lose control afterwards. Derek and his betas restrained me” Lydia stares at their hands for a long moment, eventually deciding to say whatever was on the tip of her tongue “Was that what you were thinking about downstairs?” She lifted her head eyes questioning  
Allison shook her head, twisted her hand so she could lace their fingers together “Not entirely... It was..” She frowned slightly “It was a lot of things” Lydia nodded in understanding, trailing a thumb over Allison's own slowly “Why don't you want to sleep?” Allison asked, she figured if Lydia could ask a question, then so could she  
Lydia pursed her lips for a moment, glancing down at their hands again  
“Because, if I sleep, how can I protect you?”  
Allison feels her heart lurch, she hadn't been expecting that  
“I also still get nightmares” Lydia added with a shrug  
“Lydia” Allison pulls at Lydia's hand until green eyes met her brown ones “What do you mean can't protect me?”  
“I promised you, remember?” Lydia looks almost angry, sounds disappointed “I told you that I wouldn't let him hurt you and...”  
“I got hurt” Allison finished  
“Yeah, you got hurt”  
“Lydia...”  
“Allison” Lydia says, cuts herself off, doesn't seem to know what to say with Allison's attention on her, she just stares, looking somewhat lost and helpless “Watching you hurt killed a part of me and replaced it with something dark and angry and I want to make them all bleed for hurting you. I hate that I couldn't get to you and now-”  
Allison didn't know what else to do, maybe she should have kissed Lydia, maybe she should have let Lydia finish but she couldn't do that, couldn't let Lydia continue that train of thought, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Lydia's neck, resting her head against her shoulder, Lydia's arms moving to her waist, her own face burying into Allison's neck with a barely there sigh, Allison feels It against her skin rather than hears it  
“Just you being here Lydia, your being by my side and holding my hand or hugging me.. That means more to me than anything else” and she isn't lying, being wrapped up in Lydia is the time when Allison feels most anchored, like if Lydia wasn't there, she'd fall to pieces, if Lydia wasn't holding her, she's fall over the edge  
“I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving you Allison. Not unless you tell me to”  
Allison doesn't know what to do with that quiet declaration either, maybe they don't need words  
“Derek is here, he's not going to let anything happen okay? That's why he's here, so just... Just sleep, for a few hours, please?”  
Lydia shifts from Allison's neck to her shoulder and nods once “Okay”  
  
  
  
He hadn't seen Stiles behave like this for years, he hadn't seen Stiles be so violent  
Yet he punched Lydia only two days ago  
He had a gun  
His body couldn't keep still, his fingers drumming into the table, his knee, his foot against the floor  
It was incredibly distracting  
Scott settled for watching Stiles carefully as they ate, keeping an ear on his heart rate, waiting for it to spike  
Waiting for Stiles to do something  
The knowledge that something happened to him and Allison right under Scott's nose leaves him with a uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, the fact that they haven't told him, _can't_ seem to tell him does absolutely nothing for his nerves leaving him to do nothing but speculate until they tell him or something happens that forces their hands  
He knows it happened after their mother died  
He worked out the time line on the journey to the station, their mother had died in the summer between the third and fourth grade, Allison's arm had been broken at some point during the fifth grade  
The more he thinks about it, the more he remembers the twins with bruises and cuts, dismissing it with archery practice or another hobby that their parents had made them take up and couldn't bring themselves to quit now that they only had one parent to enforce it  
He remembers Stiles eventually quitting, refusing to go while Allison barrelled forward, a steely determination that left a eleven year old Scott caught somewhere between smitten and slightly terrified  
Outside of school, Allison did her own thing, lost in gymnastics and archery and French while Stiles fell into place beside Scott, video games, movies and comic books- though he did keep up with French, Scott knew that much, no where near as dedicated as Allison but he could maintain a conversation with her if it was necessary. During school? They were inseparable, them against the world, the three musketeers or any other cliché that came to mind whenever Scott thought about them together. Eyes followed them always, the crazy twins and their loser friend  
It was just the three of them for so long and then Peter had to come along and bit Scott and Lydia finally, _finally_ took notice of Allison and then Jackson, Derek and Kate came into the picture and Lydia got attacked and Allison went over the deep end only to be pulled back during a hailstorm of blood and fire  
So much has transpired in such little time, no wonder they're all developing a manic edge  
Scott glances back at Stiles again, watching him pull apart his burger with a frown  
Is Stiles going to were Allison went that night in the woods? It almost feels like it, flashes of something dark in those eyes leaves Scott feeling cold  
A part of him just really hopes it's Stiles' protective slightly older brother senses kicking In, the urge to avenge Allison for what happened to her and not something darker  
But Stiles seems to be obsessed with their mothers suicide, convinced that Chris was behind it somehow  
Scott wanted to tell him that it wasn't possible, that Chris couldn't do such a thing, that there was no way he could pull the trigger on his wife, the mother of his children  
But Stiles had a point. If Chris was willing to let Allison be tortured, who's to say he couldn't do it?  
It kind of made Scott want to cry   
He wanted to pull Stiles against him and keep him from doing something he regretted  
He wanted to push Allison and Lydia together because Lydia seems to be the only one keeping Allison together but they still haven't admitted their feelings to one another   
He wants Gerard to leave, for the hunters to go and for everything to go back to that small space between Lydia waking up as a wolf to before Derek turned Isaac, Boyd and Erica  
and brought the hunters back   
That was the closest thing they had to genuine happiness  
The only real silver lining they had was Allison and Lydia, the circumstances pushing them together, holding them together could be better, watching Allison hurt so much killed him inside, but watching how Lydia could calm her down by a simple touch, a hand in her hair while she sleeps, a hand on her arm while they talk, a simple locking of eyes  
Lydia was holding Allison from the edge while Allison unknowingly did the same for Lydia  
Yeah, Allison and Lydia were the good in this chaos  
“Scott, what are you thinking about?” Stiles asked  
Scott blinked away his thoughts and focused on the boy in front of him “Allison and Lydia”  
Stiles' nose wrinkled up in disdain “That's my sister dude”  
Scott frowned at Stiles' words, “What?” as his eyes flickered over Stiles realisation kicked in, a blush forming on his cheeks “Oh, no, no no. God no.” Scott held his hands up, shaking his head thoroughly “Not like that, oh my god”   
Stiles raised an eyebrow   
“I was thinking about how Lydia helps her through the panic attacks”  
Stiles' expression falters slightly, eyes dropping back down to the plate “Yeah, it's good she finally has someone, even if they haven't said anything to each other yet”  
“She has you, Stiles”  
Stiles nods “Yeah”  
“And me”  
Stiles smiles “Yeah”  
“And you have her and you have me” Scott adds with a shrug  
“A dysfunctional little group, huh?” Stiles pushes his plate away from him  
Scott grins, glad for this short reprieve, for a flash of the Stiles he loves to come back to him “Yep!”   
Scott feels himself freeze  
Love  
Yeah, love  
It sounds good  
It sounds right  
“We should probably get back to them” Scott manages, “Allison is probably worried”  
Stiles nods, unsure “Yeah”  
“And maybe we could take her some curly fries?”  
Stiles smiles again and it's like the sun peaking out on a cloudy day “Yeah”

  
  
Lydia wakes up with such a jolt she's amazed she didn't somehow throw Allison across the room, but when she tilts her head to the side, the brunette is still there, curled up close and arm thrown over Lydia's stomach as if she's scared Lydia would leave if she wasn't maintaining some form of contact  
Lydia lets her head fall back against the pillow  
It's the first time her dreams haven't been dominated by Peter, by blood soaked sheets and the pull of the moon  
That's not to say he didn't make an appearance, if only in fleeting. No, her dream was filled with wolfsbane filled air and reliving watching Allison's torture, being utterly unable to help. Unable to stop it, watching Allison writhe and scream and bleed  
It was too much  
Lydia shifted onto her side so she could see Allison clearly, reassure herself, her wolf, that the girl was there with them. That she was safe  
Lydia had shifted them onto their sides at some point during their hug, when it became clear that Allison wasn't going to let go any time soon, rather than displace her  
Lydia thinks she may have been the one to fall asleep first, reassured by having Allison against her, that Derek was downstairs, she was still hesitant with the alpha, how he could go from being completely untrustworthy of the twins to talking them down from panic attacks and sticking around to make sure Lydia isn't alone in keeping Allison safe  
Maybe he can just see the bigger picture, two sixteen year old kids aren't a danger compared to their homicidal grandfather and his lackies  
Lydia lets her fingers ghost over Allison's arm, the grazes and bruises the mark the skin, she knows the reason Allison doesn't bother to cover them is because she knows that Lydia, Stiles and everyone else has already seen them, it's what lies underneath the clothes that concerns Lydia, if the rest of her body is covered in marks like the one on her hip. She thinks she saw some cuts peaking out through the collar of her shirt, but Allison had moved, the skin covered up too quickly before she could be sure  
Lydia moves her hand over Allison's, letting her thumb brush over the splits in her knuckles, already well on their way to scabbing over, no doubt they'll leave tiny white marks in their wake, Allison will forever have constant reminders of what they did to her  
Lydia feels her wolf stir, anger coursing through her, an undertone of sadness ringing clear  
It's not that she's pitying Allison, this girl is one of the strongest people she's ever had the benefit of meeting. Allison Argent who watched her aunt die and then took on a alpha werewolf and won. Allison who approached Derek and his pack to try and convince them she meant no harm. Allison who almost shot her father protecting _Lydia._ Allison who endured all kinds of torture and lost her mother and went through god knows what else in her childhood and yeah, she has panic attacks, yeah, her hands are shaking and she's plagued by nightmares and can't seem to look Stiles in the eye at the moment and yeah, she gets that lost look in her eye  
But she comes back  
Allison is a warrior and Lydia knows that, how could she not?  
But sometimes even warriors need protecting and nothing fills Lydia with more worry than the thought of Allison thinking these scars make her any less of a person, any less beautiful  
Allison fought and she survived, she's alive and here  
That's all that matters.  
But she still wanted revenge on Allison's behalf, she wanted blood, there was a thirst, a longing  
Lydia could always feel it, somewhere in the back of her mind, deep in her soul, for a while she thought it was just her wolf, part of the package, the aftershocks of it settling into the hole Peter had torn through her. But as time began to pass she realised it wasn't that, no, it was something deeper, something her wolf couldn't reach. Something dark, powerful  
Something dangerous  
And it was growing  
Lydia could feel it burning to the surface of her skin, itching for release and it was getting stronger the more she thought about Gerard, about Chris and their hunter buddies  
Allison helped, having Allison near helped. She kept Lydia calm, docile  
Human  
Lydia tangles their fingers together and brings Allison's hand closer  
“I tried to escape”   
Lydia tries not to show how much she startles, but their bodies are pressed so close together, it would be stupid to assume that Allison hadn't felt the way Lydia jolted, Lydia turns her attention to Allison, eyes moving over delicate features, focusing on her favourite part of Allison  
Her eyes  
Soft and regarding Lydia with an open curiosity and if Lydia were being critical, she would say she could see hesitation   
Lydia runs her thumb over one of the knuckles in acknowledgement, but says nothing waiting to see if Allison will continue, doesn't want to force the issue, anything Allison says Lydia will take as a blessing  
Allison shifts slight, leaning up on an elbow and forearm, head resting against the headboard as she stares at their hands “I waited for them to lower their guards and I got a knife from one of them and I cut him...” Allison took a sharp breath as her eyes darkened, Lydia sat up, keeping her grip on Allison's hand, Allison mimics her movements until their sat side by side, shoulders brushing and hands locked between them “It's how I got this as well” Allison taps the side of her face gently “One of the reasons anyway. I wasn't quick enough and the bigger guy grabbed me and slammed me into a pillar” Her grip tightened around Lydia's hand, nails digging into skin   
“You're so brave” Lydia says, she looks away from their hands and meets Allison's gaze once more “You went through so much and you fought Allison. I saw those guys, I saw them when I got you back” Allison Is staring at her now but Lydia barrels on “they deserve so much worse, but you did that and you defended yourself and you were so strong Allison. You're so strong”  
“Lydia...”  
“You'll always remember that right? You are incredible” She kisses each knuckle, careful not to disturb the cuts, she hears Allison suck in a sharp breath, the speed of her heart, she turns Allison's hand around and lets her lips settle against the soft skin of Allison's wrist “Don't forget how incredible you are” she mumbles against the pulse beneath her lips  
“Lydia...” Allison whispers, she can feel Allison's pulse speeding up, her heart thundering in her chest and it only seems to increase when Lydia lifts her eyes to meet Allison's, not once moving her lips from their spot. This moment, right here, it feels electric, brimming with possibilities and Lydia doesn't dare breathe for as long as it takes for Allison to continue, she can hear Stiles' Jeep turn into the street the distant thrum of his and Scott's hearts “That night, when they took me.” Lydia lifts her head at that, eyes focused on Allison. Allison's eyes flickered away briefly, Lydia waited patiently, she should tell Allison that Stiles is almost back, that he'll be walking through the door in less than two minutes, that he seems panicky and so does Scott and that can't possibly be good news  
But then Allison is looking at her again, eyes bright with a determination Lydia hasn't seen for a while and all of those thoughts just float away at the prospect of Allison giving her the answer to one of the questions that has been plaguing her “I was coming to see you, but, you know that already right?”  
Lydia nods, squeezes Allison's hand “I did”  
“But, well.. There's a reason for it, I needed to see you-”  
The door downstairs is kicked open and Lydia feels herself deflate, even more so when Allison jumps at the sudden sound, the sound of Stiles calling Allison's name echoing through the house only serving to make Allison's heart increase, anxiety pouring from her in waves. Lydia can understand why, his tone of voice.. Well, it didn't even _sound_ like Stiles  
Allison just looked so despondent, Lydia wanted to pull her into a hug, before she could move Allison sighed “I need to talk to him”  
Lydia tried not to let it show how dejected she felt, judging by the way Allison was looking at her, she doesn't think she was very successful. Allison offered her a small smile before bringing Lydia's hand to her own lips and kissing the pulse point on her wrist, sliding off of the bed and moving towards the door  
“Lydia?”  
“Yeah?” Lydia turned to see Allison in the doorway, watching her carefully  
“You're incredible” Allison says quietly  
And then she's gone, just like that   
Lydia pushed a hand through her hair and listened to Allison greet her brother  


Scott didn't look away from the twins until Lydia joined him and Derek in the hallway, glancing into the living room where Stiles and Allison are talking in harsh breaths  
“Is everything okay?” she asks, turning to Scott, he can tell by the crease In her forehead that she knows that something is wrong, he wouldn't expect anything less. The way the twins hearts are beating, increasingly fast and out of sync, it would be impossible to not know. And that's without the added effect of the fear and anxiety coming from Allison, the steadily building anger from Stiles  
“You don't happen to speak French do you?” Scott asked quietly, Lydia raised an eyebrow  
“You don't? You've been around them for longer, you should know at least some” Derek muttered  
“They're talking too fast” Scott shook his head, “there's no way I can catch any of it”  
“What happened today?” Lydia asked, eyes fixed on Allison, Scott follows her gaze, watches Allison stand tall, fists clenched at her side, she's trying to make herself seem taller, more intimidating as she snaps at Stiles, Stiles saying something back, his voice eerily even  
He watches Allison's face fall, hears her heart pick up as she takes a step back from Stiles. She says something back, hurt evident In her tone  
Lydia starts forward, Scott reaches out unthinkingly, blocking her with his arm  
“What are you doing?” She growled  
“You can't intervene with this”  
“Look at her Scott”  
“Lydia” Scott turns to face her, tugging on her shoulders until she meets his gaze “They have a right to privacy, they clearly want it if they're speaking French, we have to respect that.” he studies Lydia's expression for a moment longer and looks back over to the twins “He isn't going to hurt her, don't worry”  
“You better be right” Lydia shrugs away from him  
“He's her brother Lydia. He wouldn't hurt her” Scott shook his head, watching as Stiles threw his hands up and half barked something at Allison, the girl pushing a shaky hand through her hair  
“I ran into Chris and Gerard earlier. Before I came here”  
“Is that what they're talking about?” Derek asked, his eyes fixed on the scene  
“I don't know” Scott replied, his words coming out sharper than he intended “There's a lot I don't know Derek” Scott feels Lydia's hand on his shoulder  
“It's okay Scott” She says it quietly, comforting and it is, it really fucking is because Scott wants everybody to be okay and it feels like he's the only one who still has that optimism, but he can feel it being chipped away, slowly but surely.  
Watching Stiles get increasingly angry, Allison shaking and Lydia ready to spill blood at a moments notice  
He's watching the twins fall apart in front of him and he doesn't even know why, and he feels so helpless  
But Lydia is there with him. She's in a similar boat to him. Desperate to help the one she loves but unsure how to do it  
But Lydia doesn't care about Stiles  
No. No that's not true. Scott glances at Lydia, she shares a look with him before looking back at the twins, Allison seems to be fighting tears and Lydia looks ready to knock Stiles out  
It's not that she doesn't care about Stiles, it's just Allison is her priority, Stiles is the buy one get one free she got when she fell in love with the brunette. Lydia cares for Stiles, he's became her friend  
But he'll never mean as much to her as he means to Scott  
But that's okay, it's a good balance  
She can protect Allison and Scott can protect Stiles  
But Stiles and Allison need to still protect each other because they've never been apart and Scott has never seen them act this way before because they're something whole and special and they just don't work the same without the other. Yin and yang, sun and moon, fire and water and every other cliché in the book  
And now their colliding in all the wrong ways as every word Stiles seems to say just seems to make Allison more upset and Lydia angrier  
Scott feels angry too  
It's so foreign to him  
But he's glad Lydia is by his side  
He's even glad that Derek is here even if he doesn't agree with the alpha  
Derek makes a good middle man. Only concerned with the survival of himself and his pack, he can see the strategic advantage of keeping the twins safe. He isn't bound to them by feelings and despite their differences he's still an alpha  
Stiles yells something and beside him Lydia growls again. Scott's phone rings just as Allison yells something back, her words lacking the same fire Stiles' held. Scott checks his phone, his mother. He glances back at the screaming match between the twins, they both seem distraught at whatever is being said but Stiles' body is so tense, his fists clenched   
“Take the call Scott” Derek says, pushing himself off of the wall “Lydia?”  
“I'm on it”  
Scott watches the pair move past him as his phone continues to ring  
“I think it's time you both took a breath, got some air” Derek steps between the two, Lydia moving so her back is against his, hands moving to Allison's and coaxing the fingers open. Stiles glances over at Scott briefly, eyes dark and he's moving from the room and up the stairs as Scott answers the phone

  
  
Allison hasn't spoken since Lydia and Derek intervened, she just sits on the floor, chin tucked In her knees, staring at the wrapped up paper bag on the coffee table, Derek is propped against the wall in the corner of the room, typing away on his phone, probably to his pack considering he hasn't seen them at all today  
It's taking all of her focus to keep her wolf at bay. It's pissed, pissed at Stiles for adding to Allison's pain, Lydia pushed herself from the sofa to sit beside Allison, letting her hand move up to the back of her neck and run her thumb along the skin there, Allison just sighs quietly and relaxes slightly. Her hands stay balled up into fists and shaking but Lydia will take any small victories  
When Scott walks in, he's tapping his phone against his hand and his expression does nothing for Lydia's nerves  
“How bad is it?” She asks   
“Could be worse” Scott moves to sit on the sofa just behind Allison, who tilts her head back slightly so it's resting against his knee and closing her eyes “Obviously mom knows I skipped school today. She's pissed”  
“What did you tell her?” Lydia asked  
Scott shrugged “That Stiles needed me”  
“And?”  
“I'm going to be in trouble”  
“And Stiles?”   
“I don't know, we're going to need a good cover. She knows that the twins weren't at school today”  
“What?” Allison asks, her eyes opening “How?”  
“I don't know Alli”  
Allison pursed her lips “If we used the right make-up we could cover up my bruises. I could go back tomorrow”  
“No” Lydia replied “Allison, you know that's a bad idea”  
“What choice do we have?”  
“We could make Stiles go to school, forge a note from your father and say you're sick” Derek steps forward, Lydia blinks at the alpha  
“That's... Actually a really good idea” Scott says, Lydia nods her agreement   
“If Stiles goes for it” Allison mutters   
“He will, Scott can make sure of that” Lydia moves her arm so it's around Allison's shoulder, smiling as she leans into it  
“But I think you need to go to school tomorrow too Lyds” Allison whispers  
“What?” Lydia frowned “Allison I'm-”  
“You can't let me get in the way of school. Your grades still matter, werewolf or not” Allison says, her eyes fixed ahead  
It's hard for Lydia not to feel hurt, even if she does understand where Allison is coming from as she says it, just because Allison is hurt doesn't mean the world is going to stop turning  
But to Lydia's wolf, it does. Allison is effectively asking her to leave her. Lydia can't even think of words to say in response. Allison only looks at her when the silence in the room stretches on for too long, her eyes filled with unshed tears from her confrontation with Stiles   
“Hey, no no” She says, reaching for Lydia's hand, Lydia realises she must have been doing a terrible job of keeping her expression blank “I'm not telling you to leave Lyds, it's just...” Allison glances over at Derek, the small frown makes Lydia think that Allison would much rather be having this conversation alone  
There's so little privacy when werewolves are involved, no wonder she had to resort to French to get a moment with Stiles “I don't want what happened to me to impact the rest of your life, we can't hide forever and school is important”  
“I know” Lydia sighs, Allison Is right, of course she is “But who's gonna stay with you?”  
“I will” Derek steps forward “If Allison is okay with that”  
“I am” Allison replies glancing at the alpha briefly. She looks back at Lydia, a small smile on her lips “What do you say Lyds?”  
“If that's what you want to do, I’ll respect it” Lydia squeezes Allison's hand and smiles back   
“Okay, but me and Stiles can't stay here forever” Allison looks back over at Scott, “Your mom is going to ask questions”  
“I know” Scott sighed  
“We'll worry about that when we come to it” Derek replies “For now, focus on recovery Allison”   
Allison looks as taken aback as Lydia feels, she can tell Scott seems shocked by the alphas words, the edge of genuine concern to his words   
“I will” Allison manages eventually   
Derek nods at her “Lydia, walk me out?” his tone doesn't leave room for refusal so she squeezes Allison's hand once more and follows him from the room  
“I'll keep her safe Lydia. You know that”  
“You fucking better” Lydia growled   
“I'm not your enemy Lydia” Derek opens the door, glancing around and stepping out into the cool air “She has your cell?”  
“She does”  
“Then if there's any problems, I’ll call you”  
“You're not really filling me with much faith Hale”  
Derek sighed “Look, I'll keep her safe, bring her to the house tomorrow, she needs a change of scenery or she'll go mad being locked in here”  
“You aren't my alpha Derek” Lydia took a warning step forward   
“I'm not ordering you” He turns away from her “But I’m suggesting you bring her to the house and maybe calm down before you do something stupid”  
“Fuck you” Lydia muttered as she closed the door, knowing with a sense of satisfaction that the wolf heard her  
Scott gives her a look when she comes back into the living room, Allison is still sat in the same spot, only now she's eating from the bag that had been in front of them, when she notices Lydia's arrival she holds out the bag with still shaking hands   
“Curly fries?”

  
  
Allison's hands shake around the gun as she tries to put it back together, Lydia and Scott are talking in the kitchen and she hasn't seen Stiles since their argument  
She can't get his words out of her head, his French was better than she remembered it being, he still made mistakes at points and his accent needed work, but it didn't take away from the context of what he was saying  
She couldn't believe he had said what he had  
The way he had looked at her, how his body was so tense, his jaw locked  
It was terrifying  
His eyes had been so dark, he didn't feel like her brother  
Allison made a sound of frustration, throwing the parts in her hands to the table, she smashes her fingers together, the sharp pain a distraction from the frustration  
The fact that a few words could resort her to this is a fact not lost on Allison, she's just waiting for the accompanying memories, knows it's only a matter of time, she's actually surprised that it hasn't happened yet  
She keeps her head bowed and focuses on her breathing, half expecting Lydia or Scott to come in and check on her  
She feels someone settle on the sofa beside her and knows instantly it's not Lydia, the brushing of shoulders doesn't bring the same warmth and comfort. She lowers her hands and raises her head, shocked to see Stiles beside her. His eyes seem clearer now, apologetic. His lips forming a tight smile  
Allison smiles back, albeit forcefully, taking it for the apology it most likely is  
It doesn't change anything  
She doesn't think she can actually talk to him right now  
But Stiles Is intuitive, he already knows this, he reaches for the gun, holding it back out for Allison to take, which she does.  
Together they put the gun back together leaving Allison with a small feeling of satisfaction, she thinks maybe her hands aren't shaking as much any more  
“Mom hated this gun” Stiles finally says  
“Yeah” Allison agreed, setting it down on the table “too heavy”  
“And the grip was too long” Stiles added  
“Yeah” Allison sighed, she didn't know what was worse, the fact that Stiles had to mention her again, or that the only thing he could think to talk about her was that she hated the gun they were holding  
They were both pretty shitty options  
“I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean to” Stiles gestures to her hands  
“But you did”  
Stiles sighs “I know”  
“Divide and conquer” Allison says, she doesn't bother to be quiet, she doesn't mind Lydia and Scott hearing them  
“Split us up and leave us all exposed”  
Allison nods, only flinches a little when Stiles reaches for her hand, to his credit, Stiles doesn't acknowledge it  
“We'll be okay” he adds after a while  
Allison really, _really_ wanted that to be true  
  
  
Ever since the cryptic conversation between the twins, Lydia has been more than hesitant around Stiles, she only had more questions about the nature of their argument, but at least they could be in the same room again, they can't seem to quite be able to meet each others eye or be beside one another  
But they can share Scott's room, Lydia doesn't really feel like she can sleep, untrustworthy of what dangers would face them if she lowered her guard. But she let Allison pull her towards the bed as they set up Netflix, Scott and Stiles scrolling through various movies  
From the sound of things, it seems unlikely they can keep the twins in the house for another day, not with Melissa's growing suspicions and questions of Allison's whereabouts or the true circumstances behind Stiles' presence, it's only a matter of time before she either calls Chris or just runs into him, it is a small town after all. Chris and Gerard have already made a threat towards Melissa so giving her a reason to seek them out just seems too risky. Stiles' behaviour seems to be putting everyone, even Derek on edge and Allison's hands are still shaking, even as she crawls half into Lydia's lap and Lydia clasps their hands close, she can still feel them trembling  
But this is the closest Lydia has felt to a normal teenager in days, regardless of the fact she's hiding in Scott McCall's and that the girl she loves is in constant pain and on edge while her brother looks like he wants to tear someone’s throat out with his very human teeth at regular intervals as they're all hunted by said twins father and grandfather  
But there's still a small smile on Allison's lips as Scott and Stiles bicker over what film to watch  
So maybe it's worth it  
“Fight club?” Scott frowned, “Really?”  
“Yes really” Stiles clicked on said film “It's got one of the most famous quotes ever.” He twists slightly to look at Allison, his gaze flickering over Lydia briefly “First rule of fight club?”  
“Never talk about fight club” Allison replies quietly, tilting her head against Lydia's when she hooks it over Allison's shoulder  
“You're both such nerds sometimes” Scott sighs  
Allison's heart speeds up and Lydia isn't sure what caused it  
But this is a moment she's going to enjoy  
For a few hours they can have some semblance of normality  
So yeah, definitely worth it

 


	8. But tonight i need you to save me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can we just stay like this?” Allison asked “Just for a few more minutes?”  
> A moment passes before she feels Lydia's hands around her again  
> “Okay, a few more minutes”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first of all, i'm so sorry how delayed this is but holy shit it's so long  
> Also it's nearly 3am so any and all mistakes are totally my bad....  
> Title from "The Edge" by Tonight Alive

 

Allison kept her arms locked around Lydia's waist, continuously murmuring apologies into Lydia's neck. Lydia keeps a hand against Allison's neck, thumb moving against the skin as she shares a look with Scott while he and Stiles pack their bag for school  
Lydia was just thankful Melissa had already gone to work  
“Allison, it's okay, see?” Lydia gently eased Allison's head away and gestured to her lip, “already healed” (even though she can feel the blood drying there) and Allison can obviously see it if her distraught expression is anything to go by  
“I'm so, so sorry”  
“You didn't mean to” Lydia replied  
“I'm gonna go... Breakfast” Scott gestured to the door “Stiles?”  
“Yeah? Yep. I'll help” Stiles nods, slinging his bag over his shoulder and casting another look towards Lydia, the guilt clear in his expression  
“Allison” Lydia sighed, “It's okay”  
“I hurt you”  
“It was an accident” It had also been terrifying for a moment, turns out the most effective form of alarm clock is Allison socking her in the jaw in an attempt to fight off whoever was plaguing her dreams, despite the jolt of pain, the taste of blood on her lips, Lydia had been quick to take Allison's wrists in her hands, repeating the girls name quietly and pull her from the nightmare.  
By the time Stiles and Scott had realised what was going on, Lydia already had Allison on her lap, legs wrapped loosely around her waist as she cries into Lydia's neck, choking out apologies as she did so  
“What happened?” Lydia asked quietly, thumb still rubbing circles into Allison's neck, she feels Allison blow out a breath against her neck and move away, rubbing at her eyes and still sniffling, Lydia doesn't expect Allison to reply, and even if she does, she doesn't expect an explanation. She can't begin to comprehend how difficult it must be for Allison to talk about, to think about. But Lydia has to ask, gentle nudges to reassure Allison that Lydia _will_ listen, she wants to know and wants to help because watching Allison tear herself apart like this is killing her  
She can protect Allison from werewolves but how can she protect her from the monsters inside her head?  
“I was fighting them again. The hunters” Allison moves her arms from behind Lydia “When I got these” she gestures to her face before letting her hands fall into the space between them “I'm sorry” She drops her head  
“Hey,” Lydia cups Allison's cheeks gently and lifts her head, forcing their eyes to meet “don't apologise, I'm not hurt. You're okay and that's all that matters” Lydia pushes Allison's hair behind her ears “You are okay, right?”  
Allison bites her lip and nods, more to herself than to Lydia it seems, a moment later her thumb is against Lydia's lip and the gesture is enough to knock the air from her lungs and it takes her a moment to realise that Allison is trying to wipe the blood from her lip but Lydia can't focus on anything but the touch of her thumb against her skin, the sudden intensity In her eyes  
“You're going to be late for school” Allison moves her hand away reluctantly   
“I don't have to go” Lydia replies, “just say the word and I’ll stay, I’ll-”  
“It's fine Lyds” Allison climbs off her, albeit slowly and Lydia doesn't miss the pain that flashes over her features, definitely doesn't miss how her hand shoots to her hip  
Lydia watches Allison carefully, and follows Allison off of the bed  
"Allison?"  
"It hurts Lyds" Allison sighs and Lydia can't help but flinch, she sounds so _tired_ "I'm tired of hurting, I'm tired of not being able to say the things I want to say" she pushes a hand through her hair, wincing when her fingers her caught in a tangle, Lydia eases Allison's hand from her hair and holds it tight  
"We're going to get through this Allison, you're not alone"  
Allison responds with a barely there smile that Lydia knows is there to try and reassure her  
"I could take your pain, If you want me to?" Lydia asked  
Allison shook her head, tried to pull away from her grasp "No, no, no. I don't want you to hurt, I don't want to burden you-"  
"Allison," Lydia said with more force than intended, Allison visibly flinched, her eyes meeting Lydia's with hesitance "you are _not_ a burden, never think of yourself as such, please, please never think of yourself as a burden" Lydia let Allison's hand drop and held out her own "let me help you"  
Allison bit her lip, eyes moving over Lydia's face nervously, slowly, so slowly, Allison gripped the hem of her shirt rolling it up slightly, exposing the cut along her hip  
"I know you saw it yesterday" Allison mumbled  
"I did" Lydia admitted, letting her hand move to the injury, Allison jumps only slightly "Allison, I'm not asking to see..." She takes a slow breath, moving her attention from her hand back to Allison "but there are more, aren't there?" Lydia grimaces, feeling the pain flood her senses, there’s just _so much_. But seeing Allison relax, that made it all worth it  
"Thank you" Lydia says after Allison's eyes open  
"For what?" Allison asked  
"For showing me, for letting me help you" Lydia smiled encouragingly, she moves her thumb over the scar, now that she has a chance to study it up close she can see that it's easily at least four inches long, jagged as though whoever had caused it had deliberately dragging it out, taking their time pulling the blade through Allison's flesh  
"You already saw it once" Allison murmured, her breath hitching slightly  
"Yeah, but this time you showed me of your own choice" Lydia replies, she has to make this clear to Allison, every time she shares something, every time she tells Lydia or anybody else for that matter its a victory and Lydia needs to make Allison see that, it's a step towards recovery but she knows she has to do it in a way that isn't patronising to the girl "So, thank you Allison"  
Allison slides her hand along Lydia's and moves them away from the injury "Thank you for not leaving"  
Before Lydia can even question Allison's words, the girl brings Lydia's hand to her lips and moves from the room, her heart pounding as she moved into the bathroom, the door locking behind her  
Lydia stared at the door for a moment and let out a breath of her own, hand moving to her own heart, willing for it to slow down

 

Stiles watched Scott move around the kitchen, setting a bowl in front of Stiles and filling it with fruit loops, Scott's expressions were enough to give Stiles a vague idea as to the contents of the conversation between Lydia and Allison  
In hindsight, choosing to watch fight club may have been a bad idea, that may have just made things worse for Allison. Stiles couldn't help but wonder who it was she was fighting off in her dreams  
He bets she misses the dreams of Lydia's teeth in her neck  
A mug of coffee is placed down next to his bowl of increasingly soggy cereal, Scott's expression firm  
"Eat" he says, setting two more down opposite Stiles, for Allison and Lydia he assumes- Scott never did like coffee. Stiles complies, not willing to add to the tension already thick in the air  
Scott doesn't acknowledge Lydia when she enters the kitchen beyond sliding an empty bowl towards her, Lydia however ignores it, instead moves to the coffee and sitting down opposite Stiles, she meets his eyes questioningly  
"What?" She asks  
"Is she okay?" Stiles asks  
Lydia takes a long drink from her coffee, looking contemplative for a few moments "I think so" she says eventually  
"You _think_ so?" Stiles let's his spoon fall back into the bowl "aren't you supposed to be really tuned in to emotions and shit?" He asks  
Lydia's jaw tightens as she keeps a eye on him "I can only do so much Stiles" her voice comes out harsh  
Scott steps in before Stiles can have a chance to retaliate, "Guys, come on, its early and we're all tired, we're all stressed, let's just eat, okay?"  
Stiles nods, eyes still on Lydia, after a moment she nods too  
"Good" Scott replies "So, what's the plan?"  
Lydia set her mug down, running a finger along the top of it "When Allison is out of the bathroom, I'll go get ready then we'll take Allison to Derek and head to school"  
"So we're still leaving her with him?" Stiles asked  
"Its Allison's choice" Lydia replies "I'm respecting that"  
"Can we trust Derek though?" Scott asked, Stiles glanced over at him, sees the furrow in his brow "it was only a few days ago he told his betas that you could never trust an Argent"  
Stiles hummed his agreement  
"And then he realised he could trust them and we formed this weird coalition" Lydia shot back, Stiles watches Lydia glance up at the ceiling, Allison must be on her way down then  
"Stiles?" Scott asked "what do you think?"  
"I don't care, so long as Allison is safe"  
Lydia purses her lips and turns away from Stiles, surely enough, Allison appears in the kitchen a few moments later  
"What's wrong?" She asked, obviously picking up on the sudden silence, Stiles takes a moment to look at her, to take in her appearance, the bags under her eyes, only made worse by the bruises still present, he curls lack the life they once held and under all of the bruises her skin was paler than he had ever seen  
"We were discussing whether Derek is trustworthy or not" Lydia replied, Allison frowned, eyes passing over Stiles' before flitting away nervously, Stiles nodded, he deserved that  
"Why wouldn't Derek be trustworthy?" Allison asked taking a seat beside Lydia and curling her hands around the mug, humming in content  
Scott moves around and a moment later he's setting a bowl filled with cereal milk in front of Allison, Stiles manages to catch Scott flash a brief smile in Allison’s direction "Because he said you could never trust an Argent"  
"But he helped you down from the panic attack yesterday" Allison says, meeting Stiles' eye "he stopped me from falling into another and then he interfered when-" Allison cuts herself off suddenly, she breaks she contact with Stiles and focuses on the bowl in front of her, Stiles sighs inwardly, if he could take back everything he had said and done yesterday, he would, he really would  
All he did was add to an already fucked up situation and Allison was paying for it worse than he was, a part of him is convinced his words had been the trigger to her punching Lydia in the face during her nightmare  
Stiles wanted to punch himself in the face for what he said  
Allison pushes her spoon around the bowl and shoves a spoonful of fruit loops into her mouth, Stiles watches Lydia tracking the movement of Allison's throat and as much as he really wants for them to get their shit together and be happy and alive, he really doesn't want to be caught in the middle while Lydia makes eyes at his sister  
But honestly he just wants everyone to survive, for Allison to be okay and safe and happy  
He also wants Chris and Gerard to be six feet under  
"Do you trust Derek?" Allison asks, turning towards Lydia  
"Yes"  
Allison nods and turns back to her cereal "Then that's good enough for me"  
"Well, okay then," Scott finally sits down beside Stiles "then it's decided"  
"Great" Allison nods, she pushes the rest of her cereal around her bowl "so when can we leave?"  
"I just need to get ready okay?" Lydia smiled softly, Allison matched the smile and leant into the touch of Lydia's hand on her shoulder "Have you forged the note from your father yet?" She turns to Stiles  
"I'm gonna do it now"  
"Good" Lydia nodded, when finished her coffee and gives Allison's shoulder one last squeeze before she’s heading back up the stairs  
Stiles looks at his soggy cereal and pushes the bowl away, decidedly no longer hungry. Allison folds her arms on the table and rests her chin on them  
"Everything okay?" Scott asks  
"Considering how much I sleep, you'd think I'd stop feeling so tired all the time" she mumbles, stiles can tell she intends for it to be funny, they've relied on humour to get them through it all before and maybe Allison hopes it'll work again this time around but even her laugh falls flat and Scott just looks pained by her words  
Stiles doesn't know how to fix the bridge between them now, they can't ignore what went wrong any more, they did it for so long and all it's done is give Gerard the ammunition he needs to fuck with their heads and boy, is he fucking with their heads  
Stiles pushed his chair away from the table, feeling Scott's eyes on him as he does so   
“I'm gonna write the note” He gestures to his bag “What should it say?”  
“Help, my grandfather is a psychopath” Allison mumbled  
“Actually...” Scott leant forward on his arms slightly, looking between Stiles and Allison “Why shouldn't he do that?”  
“How do you mean?” Allison asked  
“Tell someone”  
“Because Scott, telling people werewolves exist Is generally a good way to end up with a first class ticket to crazy town”  
“That's not what I meant” Scott shook his head “I meant, why not go to the sheriff and tell him Gerard tortured Allison”   
Stiles has to pause and stare at Scott, he doesn’t even know what Allison's reaction is, probably shock and Stiles half expects Lydia to appear in the room within the next few minutes  
“And say what?” Allison asked, her voice wavering slightly “My grandfather kidnapped me and subjected me to torture in order to find out what the anchors of a group of werewolves are, that he wanted to prove a point, that he wanted to break me and make me a hunter? How do you think he would take that?” Stiles finally looks at her, isn't surprised to see clenched fists barely concealing her shakes  
Still, props to Scott for being blunt  
But that wasn't good, Scott being edgy was bad for all of them, as much as it may annoy Stiles sometimes, Scott was the voice of reason  
But his mom had been threatened, Stiles couldn't fault the boy, he was handling it remarkably well  
“We could work something out” Scott replied  
“Allison is right” Stiles folded his arms “draw public eye, bring in the sheriff? It's just fuel to the fire, Gerard could talk his way into Fort Knox, there's no way we could get him pinned for this”  
"We could try" Scott sighed "it has to be worth trying"  
"Its not happening" Allison shook her head, Stiles glanced up as, predictably, Lydia returned to the room, not even trying to be subtle in the glare she shot Scott "all that'll do is drag the sheriff into our mess"  
Stiles frowned, because of him, the sheriff might already be involved, he was a good man and Stiles had basically walked into his office and had a breakdown in front of him  
Stupid, stupid, stupid  
"Stiles" Allison spoke up, he looked back up to her, Lydia was behind her now, Allison leaning back against her oh so slightly "the note?"  
"Right, yeah, the note" Stiles nodded slightly "sorry" Allison held his gaze for a while, wavering slightly, Stiles is glad for any moment where she can hold his eye without trembling like a leaf, though he supposes it doesn't really count while she's already shaking and has Lydia there holding her hand, or he assumes so anyway  
"We'll head out in a few minutes, okay?" Lydia said in that tone that left no room for arguments  
"You're the boss" Scott muttered

  
  
  
"Enough" Derek growled, looking between Boyd, Isaac and Erica, focusing more on the latter two  
"A week ago you said we could never trust an Argent" Isaac frowned "How can we trust them now?"  
Derek stared at the boy and resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead moving a hand along his jaw "Before I call you an idiot for what you just said, can one of you tell me _why_ you think Allison and Stiles could be untrustworthy?"  
"Well," Erica folds her arms and pushes off from Boyd to step forward "I don't know if you forgot, but Allison _did_ shoot you a couple of months ago"  
"And now her hands are shaking so much its unlikely she can even hold a bow" Derek retorted  
"Stiles seems ready to fill the nearest body with a clip of bullets"  
"He's made it clear that his targets are the Argent's" Boyd replied "I don't understand where this is coming from either by the way" he adds evenly  
Derek nods at the boy, at least one one of his betas seem to have some sense  
"I'm just saying" Erica shrugged "if it comes down to it and their hands are forced, do you really think that Stiles would let us live if it meant keeping Allison alive?"  
Derek sighed, Erica _did_ have a point there, he couldn't deny that if Stiles had to choose between Allison and his betas, he would choose Allison without hesitation. The same way that Derek knows Lydia would probably let everybody die to keep Allison safe. Allison and Scott? Well, Derek assumes Allison would let everybody die for Stiles, but he's seen the way she looks at Lydia and her love for Scott is just an added factor  
"I mean, Gerard wants Allison right? So we could make a deal. If we give them the twins- or even Allison or that matter, they would back off of us-"  
"That's enough of that" Derek snapped, cutting Isaac off, the boy tensed "That would achieve _nothing_. Do you hear me? The hunters want us dead, they are here for _us_. The twins got sucked into it by protecting us"  
"Not us." Erica shook her head "Lydia and Scott, we're just the tag alongs"  
"You can't think like that, tensions are high and we don't need to make it worse between our respective packs" Derek replied, he saw Boyd check his watch, Stiles' Jeep would be here soon to drop Allison off  
"They aren't even a real pack!" Isaac protested "They're just a couple of Omega's and two humans, they have no alpha"  
Derek growled again, they were as much as a pack as Derek and his betas were, if he was going to be critical he would go so far as to say they were a better pack than Derek's, Lydia was a natural leader, she could command a room with her words alone, she could keep a level head, her only and main drawback being Allison. Derek didn't want to be in Lydia's path if something happened to Allison, the times he's had to step in before when the redhead had lost it and for someone so tiny she had a hell of a lot of power, Derek wouldn't admit it to a soul, but she actually scared him. He didn't want to know how deep that power ran  
"They are a pack, maybe not officially but do not see them as anything less as your equals. I am still your alpha and unless I say otherwise you take orders from me. You're going to go to school and keep Stiles and Lydia under control and I'm going to protect Allison here. Allison and Stiles are important to our survival, they have the best insight into the hunters tactics and we need that" Derek picked up on the sound of an engine approaching and turned back to his pack "And just in case you get any ideas, if you so much as say anything about this conversation or anything about the twins in general, Lydia will have no hesitation in tearing your throats out"  
"On account of the whole hopelessly in love with the girl yeah yeah" Erica waved a hand "Well then," she glanced past Derek through the open window "have fun babysitting"

 

Allison tried to stop her foot from bouncing her foot against the floor of Stiles' Jeep as they drove in silence, Lydia remained pressed up close against her side, it was her idea to stay with Derek, to send Stiles and Lydia to school. She shouldn't be feeling so anxious, nothing was going to happen and even if something did, Derek would be there to keep her safe, he was a fucking alpha for crying out loud. Allison twisted her head towards Lydia, meeting green instantly, Lydia raised an eyebrow in question, silently asking if she was okay, Allison answered with a smile that felt only half genuine. Lydia gave Allison a look she couldn't begin to decipher, instead of speaking the girl simply set her hand on Allison's knee, effectively stilling her movements. Allison would have to be blind to miss the tension in the car, she knew Lydia had reservations about leaving Allison alone, something Allison could understand, Lydia was protective to say the least- something Allison didn't mind, Lydia's touch was comforting and it felt like she could hold Allison together. But Allison could see the cracks, Lydia wasn't sleeping enough, people had to remind or force her to eat (she made a mental note to send her a message later) and Allison already had so much guilt on her shoulders, if Lydia's grades started to slip because of her she would be distraught  
Scott was losing it, he wasn't as far gone as the rest of them, but the stress was beginning to show. Gerard and Chris' threat on Melissa was clearly getting to him and being forced to be the mediator between a trigger happy Stiles, a bloodthirsty Lydia and a PTSD ridden Allison would be enough to send anybody over the edge  
And Stiles? Well, Allison was wondering who would be the first to break, herself or Stiles  
She wants it to be her. Her breakdown wouldn't end in death  
"Oh look, the whole gang Is here" Stiles murmured, Allison glanced up in time to see Erica, Isaac and Boyd emerging from the house "I'm entirely convinced they just sit around trying to out angst each other"  
Allison laughed, beside her Lydia growled, it was a quiet rumble in the back of her throat and her grip tightened momentarily  
"Lyds?"  
"It's fine" Lydia replied, Allison wanted to ask more, she knew it was more than that, it didn't take much for Allison to assume one of Derek's betas had said something, probably Erica.  
"Whatever they said, don't listen to them"  
"I have no intention of doing so" Lydia's grip loosened on her knee and gave Allison an apologetic look  
Allison took a steadying breath and forced another smile as they climbed from the car  
"How're you holding up Argent?" Erica asked, she moved to lean in close, faltering when Lydia appeared at her side within a moment, Allison had to smile, her own personal guard dog- though, she suspects Lydia wouldn't appreciate the comparison  
"I'm coping Reyes" Allison replied coolly "having fun in your tree house?" She asked  
Lydia stifled a chuckle  
"Oh definitely," Erica purred, she looks over to Lydia "I'll see you in class Martin"  
"I can hardly wait" Lydia muttered as the blonde strode past, Allison stepped closer to Lydia as Isaac and Boyd walked beside her, once the teens had moved out of earshot, Lydia turned to Derek and raised an eyebrow "everything okay?"  
Derek leant against the frame of his door, his eyes flickering over the group  
"It's going to be fine"  
"Derek" Lydia growled and Allison is so thankful she's never been the direct target of that look "is it anything I need to be worried about?"  
Derek didn't even try to be subtle about the look he gave to Stiles and met Allison's "No."   
"Allison" Lydia turned to her "I can still stay, just-" Allison put her hands on Lydia's shoulders and smiled "I'm going to be fine Lyds"  
"Either way" Stiles approaches the pair, he takes Allison's hand and he fingers automatically curl around the gun he pushes into her hand "it's not an affront to your skills Derek." He glances over his shoulder at the alpha "but if you're making me and your guard dog here-" Lydia growls at that, Allison does genuinely laugh then, tension or not, they're still twins "leave you alone," he continues with a smirk "I would feel a lot more comfortable if you had this"  
"Don't you need it?"  
"I'm going to school Alli, besides, I'm surrounded by furry beasties, I think I'm good"  
Allison glanced down at the gun, uncomfortable at the weight in her hand "thank you"  
Stiles pulled her towards him and pressed a kiss to her cheek "call me if you need anything"  
"I will"  
Stiles nodded and gave her hand one last squeeze and walked back to the Jeep  
"Honestly Allison, if you need anything, call one of us"  
"I will" Allison smiled, albeit sadly, she was going to miss their presence, she can't really imagine Lydia without her side and she would be lying if she didn't feel apprehensive, but honestly, she's in the middle of a forest, her only trigger is her thoughts and besides, Derek can pull her from it, he knew how.  
"I'm going to miss you Allison" Lydia muttered  
"Yeah, you too" Allison replied "don't kill Erica"  
Lydia scowled "I promise nothing" and okay, Allison really wanted to know what the blonde had said "I'll text you later"  
"You better"  
Lydia moved up onto the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to Allison's forehead "stay safe"  
"You too"  
"I hate to ruin this" Stiles called, "but we will be late if we don't get going"  
Lydia frowned and Allison was convinced that for a moment Lydia was going to whip Allison away and be done with the whole idea. Lydia sighed and pushed a curl behind Allison's ear  
"You'll really come back if I ask?"  
"Oh Allison, in a heartbeat"  
"Okay, go, Lydia, you can't be late"  
Lydia nodded and stepped away, directing her attention Derek once more  
"Keep her safe"  
"You know I will"

 

 

“Allison's safe with him right?” Stiles asked, Lydia flashed him another glare, “Lydia tell me she's safe with him”  
“Derek isn't going to hurt her, he'll protect her Stiles” Lydia wrote the date into the corner of her book with more force than was necessary, “Don't scowl at me Argent, I don't like it either but Allison wanted us to come to class today”  
“We could have said no” Stiles replied, eyes boring into the back of Lydia's head, beside him Scott shifted and set a hand on top of his own “She's not ready to be left alone”  
“She isn't alone though, Derek is with her” Scott replied  
“Yeah great, sour wolf is going to be so helpful if she has a panic attack”  
“He helped before, he can help again” Lydia snapped back, Stiles watched her shoulders tense “You know how I feel about her Stiles, I don't want to leave her either but I trust Derek enough to leave your sister with him. She has a gun, she's a strong girl and you have to hold onto the thought that if it comes to it she can handle herself and then call one of us so we can get to her” Lydia scribbled something else down, her pen snapping in her grip as she does so. Lydia just makes an agitated sound and grabs another from her bag “She has to set the pace, she had all of her choices taken away from her when your oh so charming grandfather had her kidnapped, the last thing we need is for Allison to push us away when she needs our help”  
“But that's exactly what she's done!” Stiles hissed, he could understand her pushing him away, honestly, he was probably slowing down her recovery, but Lydia? Allison needed Lydia like he needed Scott. Stiles glanced at the boy beside him, feeling a heat rise at the back of his neck. He couldn't imagine Scott not being right by his side, the thought alone was enough to make Stiles' stomach drop, Stiles looked back at Lydia, all alone at her desk and Stiles felt a pang of guilt. Lydia is Allison's Scott (or maybe Allison is Lydia's Scott) and they both have to go without the other by their side and Stiles knows how much Allison helps Lydia keep calm  
He should probably stop pushing her buttons  
“She hasn't pushed us away” Lydia replied quietly “She's just thinking of our well being”  
Stiles has the sense to let it go “Okay” He says finally “But I have another question”  
“What is it?”  
“Derek's betas, they said something didn't they? Back at the house”  
Scott tensed beside him  
“Was it about me, or Allison?”  
“Erica told Derek to have fun babysitting” Scott explained  
“Bitch” Stiles frowned  
Lydia laughed, turning to the pair briefly “I like you better when you insult them”  
“Is it wise to do that though?” Scott asked “We need to protect each other from the hunters”  
“Which we'll do” Lydia replied “The hunters aren't touching us”  
“But I’ll be damned if they're going to insult Allison” Stiles added  
Lydia laughed again “Took the words right from my mouth Argent”  
Scott sighed beside him and Stiles grinned, this was the first time Lydia wasn't directing some form of threat in his direction since she found out about Allison's old injuries, even if she hadn't outright said anything, he could see it in her eyes, she knew there was more to the story  
Stiles shook the train of thought away, the last thing that was needed today was him having a breakdown, he took a deep breath, compartmentalise, get through the day, get back to Allison. He could do this  
He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick message, as he pressed send he looked up to see Lydia set her own phone down on the desk beside her

 

  
“Stiles or Lydia?” Derek asked, holding out a bottle of water  
Allison opened her mouth to answer when her phone chimed again, she laughed and took the bottle from the alpha “Both. Thanks, by the way”  
“Does it bother you?” Derek asked as he leant against the wall, Allison looked over to him from her spot on the floor- she couldn't understand why, but it was so much comfier than the sofa, she's rather walk through hell than sit on that again, in hindsight she really should have brought a fold out chair or something  
“Does what bother me?” Allison replied, typing out a quick reply to both, they were essentially the exact same message, albeit Lydia adding more kisses  
“They've been gone for less than an hour and they've already sent you a message”  
Allison pocketed her phone with a shrug, wincing as she did so as the skin around her shoulders puled  
“They're just worried is all"  
Derek frowned “Do they not trust me?” he looks pointedly at the gun resting at her feet  
“I don't think that's meant for you, it's more of a backup in case something does go wrong”  
“Do you trust me?”  
“You helped me and Stiles come down from our panic attacks. Lydia trusts you”  
“And that's enough for you?”  
“Yeah”  
Derek falls silent as he watches Allison, Allison tries to focus on her phone as the seconds turn into minutes and her skin begins to itch under the scrutiny  
“So” She says finally “Do you just... Stand here, all day?”  
“I work out”  
“Right.... Well, have fun with that”  
Allison didn't really think this through, Derek made a sound in the back of his throat as he moved from the room, Allison didn't account for the fact that Derek wasn't a people person.  
At least he wasn't just watching her now.  
Allison tried not to make a sound as she shifted her position, feeling her body ache in protest. Deaton had told her there wasn't much of the ointment left, but Allison hadn't expected to run out so soon. Deaton probably didn't anticipate just how many injuries she had  
Allison gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, a little pain was good. It built tolerance and made you stronger  
That's what Kate always said anyway   
Hours spent nursing broken bones and fractures   
Kate showed her how to break fingers and in the next breath how to set them   
Allison opens her eyes slowly and unclenches her fists, watching the skin relax around her damaged knuckles   
Every bone that was broken was a new lesson   
Every bruise to sharpen reflexes   
Every cold to remind them how important it was to find shelter.   
How could they ever think that was normal   
Who's family did that?   
Allison let's her head fall back against the wall with a quiet sigh, if they'd of told somebody back then maybe so much of this could have been avoided   
But it was scary, Allison understands why Stiles had reservations, she had them too  
She still does  
Allison's hand curls around the gun  
Had mom still been alive, maybe it wouldn't have gotten so out of control

   
 

Lydia had the best grades in the year, she had been ahead in almost all of them and sometimes found herself knowing more than the people who were paid to teach them.  
The occasional day off wasn't going to hinder her goals  
It was her anchor after all, power, control.  
She hated the way she became a wolf. She hated that she was a wolf, she was stronger now sure, could tear someone’s throat of with the flick of a wrist but she hadn't asked for this  
This wasn't the power she wanted  
So she had anchored herself on the knowledge that It wouldn't hold her back  
She _is_ going to graduate  
She _is_ going to make valedictorian  
She _is_ going to get the best goddamned scholarship there is  
And you can bet your ass she's going to become the youngest ever recipient of a fields medal  
That was her future  
And nothing was going to stop her from achieving that, she would do it alone if she had to  
Peter Hale couldn't stop her and she'll be damned if Gerard thinks he stands a chance  
That was her anchor.  
Was.  
Now... Now she wasn't too sure  
Lydia knew without a doubt that if she survived this, she would still go on to do all of those things.  
But when she thinks about the future now, Allison is always there.  
The thought of a future without Allison makes her heart clench and her wolf howl, neither of them like that thought it seems.  
Lydia glances at the empty seat beside her and sighs  
She never thought she would want somebody as much as this, didn't think she wanted anybody as much as she wanted- _needed_ Allison, sure, she harboured a crush towards the girl for so long...  
But Lydia would kill for this girl, she'd take a bullet for her and that was a little scary to think about  
The sharp ringing of the bell tore Lydia from her thoughts. Lydia sniffed and shoved her books into her bag, sending a quick glance in Stiles and Scott's direction as she moved from her seat, Lydia contemplated sending another message as they walked from the room  
“Martin!” Erica called  
Lydia spared a brief glance at Scott and Stiles before turning to the blonde “What?”  
“Good morning to you too” Erica raised an eyebrow  
“You didn't seem so interested in formalities this morning Reyes” Stiles stopped at Lydia's shoulder and glared “Babysitting? Really?”  
“God, it was a joke Argent” Erica rolled her eyes, the way Boyd pursed his lips made Lydia think there was so much more to it than was being let on, Erica wasn't lying, she knew that much for sure, but there was definitely more than she was letting on. As a wolf among wolves, you know you have to get good at telling half truths. A skill Erica seems to have a good hang of by now “How is the sister?”  
“She's doing fine” Stiles replies, nobody acknowledges the stutter in his heart as the words leave his lips  
“What time is it?” Isaac turns to Boyd  
“What? Need to time your bathroom breaks Lahey?” Stiles asks as Boyd checks his phone and tells Isaac  
“Funny,” Isaac nods slowly, “Isn't it about time you call your sister? Make sure she hasn't followed in your mothers footsteps?”  
Lydia bristled at the words, feeling a growl building in the back of her throat  
“What the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?”  
Isaac shrugged and stepped past them, Lydia and Stiles turned to watch him “I'm just saying, she seems pretty depressed. Your mom was too, wasn't she?”  
“You son of a-” Stiles started forward, the anger rolling off of him only fuelling Lydia's own rage as she felt her claws slipping out  
“Guys, no” Scott leapt between them and the boy, looking pleadingly at them “not here”  
“You heard what he said!”  
“I know” Scott replied with a frown “Lydia” Scott's voice was firm “Breathe”  
Lydia watched the boy retreat and fall out of earshot as he turned towards the bathroom, Lydia span around to Erica and Boyd  
“What the _fuck_ ” she snarled  
Erica held her hands up “Don't look at me, I didn't tell him to say that”  
“Don't listen to him” Boyd added “He's been in a bad mood all morning”  
“He's going to be dead if he says something like that again” Stiles snapped, Lydia nodded her agreement  
“Come on you guys....” Scott reaches for Lydia hesitantly “Let's just go to class, okay?”  
Lydia allows herself to be led away by the boy, Stiles' fists are clenched to the point where his knuckles are white and it's only when Lydia looks at her own hands does she realise she's been digging her claws into her palms the entire time. Scott frowns at her as she pulls a pack of tissues from her bag to wipe away the blood  
“What the actual fuck” Stiles hissed “What's his problem?”  
“He's not worth it Stiles” Scott sighed “We're just all-”  
“Tense. I know” Stiles ran a hand over his head “I get it but that's not a fucking excuse to go around saying shit like that”  
“Lydia?” Scott asks gently  
“Stiles is right. Isaac needs to watch his fucking mouth”  
Scott's shoulders fall  
“I think I should call Allison...” Stiles mutters “I need to make sure she's okay”  
“She'll be fine Stiles, wait until lunch, we can't keep bothering her” Scott replies, Lydia watches as he moves his hand along Stiles' arm and she can see the way Stiles relaxes slowly  
Lydia runs a hand through her own hair as they begin the walk to their next classes, her palms itching for her phone  
Isaac's words left a sour feeling in her gut  
Allison was fine  
She had to keep telling herself that  
Allison is fine

   
 

“It'll pass eventually” Derek takes a seat opposite Allison, she lifts her head, raising an eyebrow at the light coat of sweat covering his skin. He had decided to work out then, figures.  
“What will?” she asked  
Derek nods at her hands “The shaking” he reaches for his bottle of water and sips it steadily “It'll stop”  
Allison clenches her shaking hands and rests them in their lap “PTSD” she mutters. Derek doesn't reply immediately, instead turning away from Allison and focusing his attention on a spot on the wall, Allison watches him carefully  
She still feels guilty, sometimes. Not for shooting him, well, not just for shooting him. But for everything else, for all the things that have happened to him. She feels guilty for everything that her family have done to him. Kate killed his entire family, she drove Peter mad, Peter killed Laura Hale and became the alpha. Peter bit Scott and Lydia  
Allison could argue that everything that transpired was all Kate's fault. Her families fault  
“Maybe,” Derek spoke again after several minutes, Allison blinked and refocused her attention on him “but I don't think that's the sole reason behind it”  
“What do you mean?”  
Derek holds his own hand out and stares at his palm for a few moments before clenching his own fist “electricity effects the muscles, spasms” Allison makes a sound of realisation, of course, Derek had _seen_ her be electrocuted during the Skype call, hell, the alpha had suffered a similar experience at the hands of Kate a few months ago, of course he would be the one to pick up on it  
Allison wondered if he saw Kate when he looked at her, she couldn't blame him if he did.  
“I can still feel it sometimes” Allison admits quietly “The current moving through me”  
Derek nods, Allison can't help but feel like it's a deliberate move on his part not to look at her, maybe it's easier to show vulnerability that way “It hurts sometimes”  
“I try not to think about it” Allison replied  
“That isn't going to help though, is it?” Derek says, he says it like a question, but Allison can feel that it's more of a statement, and she finds herself agreeing, even if she doesn't outwardly say it right away, pushing things down seems like such a good idea, ignore It all and move on, put it on a back burner to deal with later, act like everything is fine  
But it's not  
It's never fine. And it hasn't been for years  
Ignoring what has happened, refusing to talk about it- it's getting them nowhere, it's tearing everything apart and there's only so long everybody can hold on before it all falls apart, before Allison falls apart, before Stiles falls apart  
Allison runs a finger along her arm, knowing the exact spot in which her scar lies. She thinks about the cuts decorating her torso, the jagged gash along her hip and Lydia's touch as she pulled the pain from it this morning. She thinks about the brand and is rewarded with an all too vivid memory of the hot metal burning through her flesh  
“No” she sighs “No it isn't”  
“I never thanked you for that night”  
Allison frowned “What?”  
“You and Stiles, it was because of you two we stopped Peter, it's because of your help I’m the alpha”  
Allison pursed her lips “I'm sorry for shooting you that night” she replies, Derek nods “Does this mean we're good?”  
“We're good” Derek echoed “You and Stiles I mean”  
“Yeah” Allison laughs hollowly “I can't imagine any peace treaties being written between you and Chris”  
“If it comes to it. Will you kill him Allison?” Derek asks, when Allison looks at him his pale eyes are watching her, waiting for her answer  
Allison hugs her knees tighter to her chest “If it means protecting the people I care about, I’ll do anything”  
Stiles, Lydia, Scott  
She says the names in her mind like a mantra, the people she loves more than anything in the world  
Stiles, Lydia, Scott  
Stiles, Lydia, Scott, Derek  
Yeah, she thinks Derek might have a place there one day

 

 **  
**Stiles thinks Scott made a deliberate decision to keep him and Lydia away from Erica and her little posse, he seemed to be making very deliberate decisions into the routes they took to their classes  
He still can't believe Isaac had said it, right to his face, right in front of Lydia  
It was a good thing they had been in the middle of the hallway with groups of fellow students walking past, hell, it was a good thing that Stiles didn't have the gun  
It was like Scott had said anyway, Isaac was just trying to get a rise from him. They're all tired and frustrated and even if nobody outright says it he knows they're all scared, they are all constantly looking over their shoulder anyway  
But that was a shitty ass excuse for implying Allison would ever put a gun to her head  
She wouldn't  
She wouldn't do it, she's strong  
His mother was strong  
Allison has people who love her by her side, she has him, she has Lydia and Scott  
But his mother had Chris, she had her children  
Allison wouldn't do it, she wouldn't leave Stiles, sure they had been through so much, sometimes she couldn't look at him and sometimes he didn't want her to  
But she's his sister  
She love him and he loves her and she wouldn't leave him  
She isn't going to leave him  
“I need to call Allison” Stiles stops suddenly  
“You'll be late to class” Scott says, only half heartedly, he knows it's not going to stop Stiles, but he has to say it, because that's what Scott does  
“Can I speak to her after you?” Lydia asks, her voice is hesitant and Stiles is reminded of the way she looked at him back at Deaton's, asking him for permission to see Allison  
“Yeah” Stiles forced a smile as he pulled his phone “the leather clad trio aren't anywhere around are they?” Scott and Lydia both shake their head “Okay, I’m just gonna...” He gestures vaguely as he walks away from them, he stops when he's sure he's out of earshot, or at least in a position where it'd be harder for wolf like hearing to pick up on him- he loves Scott, he really does, he loves Lydia too, but now it's in more of a 'you're in love with my sister and she's hopelessly in love with you too' kind of way, but he needs to be able to have a private conversation with his sister in English _,_ his French isn't that good.  
Stiles watches the seconds tick by as Allison's phone rings out, it doesn't take long and he lets out a quiet breath  
“Stiles?”  
“Are you okay?” Stiles replies quickly  
“Hey to you too...” Allison mutters “Yeah, I’m okay”  
“Is Derek being good?”  
“Derek's fine Stiles, he's not going to maul me and leave me in an unmarked grave somewhere,” Stiles hears a huff on Allison's end, followed swiftly by Allison responding with an apology “Is everything okay at school?” Allison asks “Did they buy the note?”  
“I...” Stiles hesitates “No, I don't think they do, they let it pass but I don't think it worked, not really”  
“Shit”  
“Yeah”  
“Stiles?”  
“Hm?”  
“What happened?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I can hear it in your voice, something... someone said something didn't they?” Allison asks  
“Isaac's being a dick, it's fine”  
“You didn't do anything did you? Lydia, she didn't do anything either did she? Are you both okay?”  
“I didn't do anything” Stiles replies, he leans against the wall and glances down the hallway to where Lydia and Scott are waiting patiently “Lydia... She seems sad, almost. She wants to talk to you when I’m done”  
“Sad?”  
“I don't know Alli” Stiles sighed  
“Are you sure you're okay?” Allison asked  
“I'm better now that I’ve heard from you” Stiles replied  
“Don't let Isaac get to you”  
“I won't”  
“And Stiles?”  
“Yeah?”  
The silence between them stretches for a few moments, forcing Stiles to check to make sure the call is still connected “I think we need to tell people, I- I want to tell them. Scott and Lydia, they need to know”  
“Why do they?” Stiles snapped  
“It's destroying us Stiles” Allison's voice wavered slightly “They have a right to know”  
“It's got nothing to do with them Allison” Stiles replied, his voice dropping down low  
“How can you say that? It's got everything to do with them. We can't keep pretending it didn't happen. They know something happened. We can't hide this from them”  
“We're not talking about this Allison. I'm at school and you're there, I don't want either of us to have a panic attack” It's a shitty excuse, he knows it, Allison knows it- if the sigh he hears is anything to go by, but she doesn't call him out on it. Allison knows a losing battle when she hears one  
“Fine, fine” He can visualise her running a shaky hand through her hair “I- I won't talk about it to anyone okay? Not until you say so. But I can't hold it back forever Stiles, it's eating me up”  
Stiles closes his eyes “Fine”  
“Can you put Lydia on now please?”  
“Yeah, yeah” Stiles turns his head towards Lydia and waves her over “I'll see you later Alli”  
“Yeah, later”  
Stiles hands the phone over to Lydia as she reaches him, he retreats down the hallway until he reaches Scott  
“Everything okay?”  
“Yeah, she's good”  
Scott nods “Good, I’m glad” They watch Lydia for a few moments, noticing the beginnings of a smile pulling at her lips “We'll be done with the day soon”  
“Yeah” Stiles agreed, he stares at his phone in Lydia's hands “Allison only has one of her phones”  
“What?”  
“Me and Allison, we had two phones. Our main ones and the ones Lydia brought us”  
“Yeah?” Scott frowned  
Stiles rolled his eyes and ruffled Scott's hair, he prayed this boy never change “Allison only has one phone now, the one Lydia brought”  
Scott's eyes widened as his brain finally put the pieces together “Allison is missing a phone”  
“There we go”  
“Someone has her other phone” Scott looked from Stiles to Lydia “Gerard has her other phone, doesn't he?”  
“Maybe” Stiles replied “It could could easily be in the trash by now as well though” he added with a shrug  
“Still, that's something right? If one of the hunters has her phone we can get Danny to hack into it and then we can trace it so we know where they are”  
Stiles grinned, feeling truly hopeful for the first time in days “I think we're onto something here Scotty”  
“I hope so” Scott agreed “What'd you guys talk about?” he asks gently, almost as though he's scared of what Stiles would reply  
Stiles shrugs, there's no point In saying anything, it'd just be a lie and Scott would know.  
The worst part is, Stiles knows Allison is right, they're falling apart and holding onto such a secret is just going to end badly, there's no easy way to talk about it either  
How can he tell Scott about the nights spent lost in the forest with Allison, huddled together in the rain only to be punished because they found and helped each other instead of sticking to the objective?  
Stiles can't help the onslaught of memories that come to him, Chris' biting words of telling him to 'Stop being so damn emotional, you're a man' only to have Allison reassure him later on that there's nothing wrong with having emotions, that no matter how cool it seems, it's not ideal to be a robot 'Feelings are good Stiles'  
How can he look Lydia in the eye and recall the time Kate and Chris had looked Allison in the eye, looked at the bone protruding from her arm and say, in the coldest voice Stiles thinks he has ever heard 'stop your crying, or we won't go to the emergency room'  
He can barely breathe just from thinking about the memories, how can Allison hope for him to be able to talk about it, how can _she_ talk about it  
Scott must have picked up on Stiles despair, if the hand clutching at his own is anything to go by. Stiles glances up at Lydia again and meets her concerned eyes as she continues to talk to his sister  
It's only a matter of time really  
  
 **  
**  
“I miss you” Lydia had said as soon Allison had heard her take the phone from Stiles, the declaration had caught her off guard for a few moments and honestly, she was glad Derek had retreated out of earshot during her conversation with Stiles  
“I miss you too” Allison replied quietly, more than she had anticipated, she hugged herself tighter, trying not to focus on the ache in the bones, the way the cold seemed to eat through her clothes  
“I want to come back”  
“Lydia...”  
“I know” Lydia sighed “I won't, I promised that I would stick it out. But... Say the word and I’m there okay?”  
Allison smiled against her knee “I know”  
“Are you okay?” Lydia asked, “You sound...”  
“I've been better” Allison replied, there was no point in lying  
“Was it Stiles?”  
“It's not his fault Lyds” Allison replied quickly “It's just...” she frowns as she struggles to find the right words “I think... We just need more time” she hears a low thud and finds herself smiling at the mental image of Lydia's head falling back against the wall, she pursing of her lips, the moment passes quickly though and before Lydia can respond, Allison finds herself saying “I don't think there's enough time” Lydia can only be patient for so long before she starts to demand answers  
“Well....” Lydia draws the word out “I'm not going anywhere”  
Allison hears the bell ring in the background “You should go”  
“Yeah” Lydia agrees, Allison listens to Lydia breathing for a few moments  
“Lydia-”  
“I know”  
“It's just for a while longer”  
“Yeah”  
“I'll see you soon Lydia”  
Allison thinks she hears Lydia sniff “I'll see you soon” she replied before the line went dead. Allison stares at the phone in her hand for a few moments, moving her thumb over Lydia's face of her background picture.  
She feels something warm drape over her shoulders and it takes her a moment to register Derek's jacket around her, much less the fact that the alpha had returned to the room  
“Thank you” She mumbles, pulling the jacket tighter around her, wincing at the flash of pain in her shoulders  
“You're in pain”  
“Yeah”  
“I thought Deaton gave you an ointment to deal with it”  
Allison sighed and watched the alpha move to sit on the ground beside her, making sure to leave a good space between them  
“I ran out. He said he would call when he made more”  
“I could take your pain”  
Allison shook her head “There's no need”  
She saw Derek frown from the corner of her eye “Why not?”  
“Pain makes you human” Allison mumbled “You said that once”  
“To Scott, Allison. I said it to Scott”  
“Can't it apply to me?”  
Derek frowned “That depends. I said it to Scott so he wouldn't lose himself to his wolf. You're not a wolf Allison, what can you lose yourself to?”  
Without looking at the alpha, Allison raised a finger and tapped her temple “the darkness”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“I was so angry, angry at Peter, angry at wolves. Lydia got hurt, she got bitten because I wasn't good enough to protect her. Kate took advantage of that...” Allison laughed harshly “She always said I wasn't good enough, that I could do better” Allison shook the thoughts away, the blondes voice fading back into her memories “She took advantage of my anger and I shot you. I shot Scott. If I’m in pain-”  
“Then you're not angry”  
“Exactly. I'm not in the dark place, it's harder to get stuck in there”  
“Stiles is angry”  
“He isn't going to hurt you guys. Not unless-”  
“We hurt you or him?”  
Allison lifts her head and thinks to the way he had sounded during their conversation “Yeah. His anger is directed at the hunters, at Gerard and Chris, and a little at Isaac, but I’m sure that'll pass. Isaac sounds like he's just trying to annoy Stiles”  
“There's a lot of anger in him” Derek says “In Stiles, I never would have thought he had it in him”  
“People say Stiles is emotional, they're right, it's his biggest weakness. But, it's also his biggest strength. His emotions keep him good, keep him from losing it”  
“But they make him act impulsively, I mean, he did punch Lydia when we were looking for you”  
Allison's eyes snapped to the alpha “What?!” Derek frowned “What do you mean Stiles punched Lydia? When the fuck did he-” Allison cut herself off, standing up suddenly, Derek's jacket slipped from her shoulder “What are you talking about?” The only other time Allison can think of seeing Derek _this_ shocked was when Peter had impaled him outside the school that one night, it feels so inappropriate Allison kind of wants to laugh  
If she didn't want to punch Stiles, that is  
“You didn't know?”  
“Does it look like I knew?” Allison retorts “Why did he do it Derek?”  
Derek gives her a firm look and reaches for his jacket before holding it out for her “Sit down, take a deep breath and then I’ll tell you”  
Allison considered fighting back, protesting, but honestly, It wouldn't achieve anything. She took the jacket from him with slightly more force than necessary, just to save face and dropped back down beside him  
“We were being watched by hunters, Stiles was frustrated, Lydia was the one who spoke up and he lashed out” Derek explained  
“There's more isn't there?”  
Derek clearly hesitated “He....Said it was Lydia's fault for being taken”  
Allison clenched her fists tight, was that why Lydia had been blaming herself this entire time? Allison felt a fresh wave of anger through her pain  
She was actually glad Stiles wasn't there, she didn't know what she would do if he was.  
She wants to hug Lydia, hold her close and reassure her that none of this was her fault. She just wants to hold Lydia and let herself be held by the wolf  
“Everything Is so fucked up” Allison sighs when she feels her anger fade “Everything is still so fucked up”  
“Yeah” Derek agrees  
“I'm sorry for what Kate did to you” Allison replies, Derek gives her a look but allows the subject change  
“Why do I get the feeling I should be saying that to you?” Derek asks  
Allison can't even find the energy to be surprised, then again, Kate Argent always left her mark  
“How long have you known?” Allison asked  
“Does it matter?” Derek replied  
“I guess not” Allison turned away from him “I'm sorry about everything else she did to you as well, back when you were a kid”  
“You know about that?” Derek asked, he looks away  
“Scott overheard you and Kate, he told me and Stiles after the whole Peter thing. Nobody else knows. We won't tell anybody, it's not our story to tell”  
“I appreciate that” Derek nodded “How bad did she hurt you?”  
“I promised Stiles I wouldn't talk about it”  
“Does Lydia know?”  
“No” Allison sighs “Like I said, Stiles isn't ready to talk about it”  
“That's his problem, it shouldn't hold you back”  
“We share a childhood Derek” Allison twirled her phone in her hands “It's not just my story to tell”  
“But you want to talk about it?”  
“Lydia has a right to know. Scott too. We grew up with Scott. He needs to know”  
“And you love Lydia” It's a statement rather than a question  
“Does everybody know about that?”  
“You would have to be blind Allison” Derek replies honestly  
“But yes, Lydia needs to know and I want to tell her, but I _can't_. Not until Stiles is ready”  
“Don't let Stiles hold you back from your recovery Allison”  
“I'm not. I- I want to tell her about what happened that day”  
“When you were taken”  
Allison closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the wall “Yeah, about that day”  
“There's nothing you can say that would drive her away, just remember that”  
Allison laughs lightly “Since when are you all deep and motivational? Seriously, I think I liked it better when you were the scary alpha”  
“I'm still an alpha”  
“Yeah, but you're being... Really helpful and supportive”  
Derek frowned slightly “I'm just not used to being around people”  
It's easy to forget sometimes just how much this guy has lost, Kate took away his family and he's been knocked to the dirt time and time again, he was just trying to build a pack, his first pack when all of this started and Boyd, Erica and Isaac... They knew nothing, they were new to this, they hadn't even had their first moons yet  
Maybe Derek was tough because he was scared  
Chris and Kate had always said it emotion was weakness  
Maybe Derek had adopted a similar ideology  
“I just thought” Allison started, Derek turned back to her and raised an eyebrow “What are we doing for lunch?”  
It's the first time she's ever seen Derek smile 

  
  
  
“You really think one of the hunters could still have Allison's main phone?” Lydia asked  
“I think it's a opportunity we would be stupid to try and ignore” Stiles shrugged “It could give us an advantage”  
“We're not really in a position to miss out on those” Scott added  
“No, I agree” Lydia nodded “I'll go sniff out Danny soon, see if I can get him to help”  
“But how?” Scott frowned  
“How what?”  
“Nobody has seen Allison for days, won't he be suspicious?”  
Stiles looked over to Lydia, she waved a hand dismissively “I'll think of something. But I don't want to stick around for any longer than necessary”  
“I hear that” Stiles agreed  
“So we go back, get Allison, have Danny trace her phone and then what?” Scott asked “Because we keep hovering around the answer”  
“It's inevitable really” Stiles folded his arms onto the table “We're going to have to face them eventually and I know you don't like it Scott, but it's very likely we're going to have to fight”  
“Fighting doesn't have to end in killing Stiles”  
Stiles laughs, he can't help it. Even Lydia looks somewhat amused by the boys words “We might not have a choice, they won't hesitate in killing us. The only thing keeping us all safe right now is the fact that Gerard likes to play with his food before eating it” Stiles stabs at his own meal half heartedly “When he gets bored we're all fucked, the idea behind hoping they have the phone is to better understand their movements, so when we _do_ have to confront them, it can be on our terms as opposed to falling into a trap”  
“That's a good idea Argent” Erica drops down onto the seat next to Lydia, Stiles watches the redhead bristle and move away “But McCall is going to have to man up if he wants to survive this”  
Stiles reached for Scott's hand, taking a deep breath and ignoring the way he had heard Chris' voice instead of the blondes, Lydia shifts beside Erica, before getting up entirely “I want to find Danny before class starts” Stiles nods, he understands what she's doing, removing herself from the situation. He can see the way her fists are balled up at her sides, her gaze shifting carefully between Erica and Isaac as though she's just waiting, silently challenging for one of them to say something.  
“I'll see you in class” Scott smiles at her, Stiles hums his agreement, as Lydia sends one last look over the group Boyd steps forward  
“Can I join you?” he asks “I could do with some help with some homework and I hear you're the one to talk to when it comes to math”  
Lydia gave him a sceptical look and after a long moment she respond with a curt nod “Sure” she looked to Stiles and Scott “I'll see you in class”  
Stiles watches Lydia and Boyd leave before shifting his gaze back to Erica, still smirking as always “I think your problem here Erica,” Stiles says in a low voice as he focuses his attention on her eyes “is that you equate Scott's hesitation to resorting to murder as a sign of weakness and while I want nothing more than to put a bullet through Chris and Gerard's head, while Lydia wants nothing more than to tear out the throats of the people who hurt Allison, Scott reminds us constantly that there may be hope for an alternative, even if we don't see or necessarily agree with it.” Stiles breathes out and can't even find it in himself to take pleasure in Erica's expression, her words hit Stiles too close to home, soldiers couldn't have emotion. They had to be strong, they had to fight, turn anger into power. Show no weakness.  
Allison always said it was bad to push down the emotions, never focus on the anger because it made him do stupid things. It made him hurt people  
Scott's gentle nature was such a big part of his personality and for Erica to see it as weakness? Well, Stiles wasn't going to let it happen “Scott's input give us hope that this might resolve with little bloodshed” Stiles lets go of Scott's hand and grabs his bag “I'll no doubt be seeing you all sooner than I would like. Come on Scott”  
“Right behind you” Scott replied and Stiles is left thinking that maybe this little coalition, truce, whatever you wanted to call it, was crumbling apart  
Stiles never would have thought Derek Hale would be the one still holding on and Boyd? Well, Boyd was essentially the Scott of their group, maybe slightly less vocal. But the fact that Scott was no longer trying to hold them together with motivational words of needing to stick together was a bad sign. Stiles knew he was tired but it didn't really fill him with much hope. As the pair walked side by side in silence, Stiles heard Isaac call at them from behind  
“I have an idea on how we can completely minimize the bloodshed” he says. Stiles stops and shares a look with Scott before turning completely to face the pair, even Erica has an eyebrow raised in interest  
“I'm listening” Stiles replies  
“We give Gerard Allison” Isaac shrugs as though it was the simplest decision in the world. Stiles sucked In a sharp breath  
“What?”  
“Well that's what they want isn't it? Allison, so they can mould her into their little puppet hunter leader, so we give them Allison”  
“Are you a fucking idiot Lahey?” Stiles hisses, Scott's hand comes to rest on his arm, holding him back gently “They want you all dead. Gerard knows Allison isn't going to be a hunter, he just wants her dead. He wants us all dead”  
“But Allison is their target so we give them what they want and they'll back off” Stiles couldn't believe what he was hearing, how Isaac was genuinely convinced that if they _were_ willing to give Allison to Gerard everything would go back to being all sunshine and fucking roses, even Erica was giving the boy a somewhat shocked look, Stiles knew immediately that she had had no part in this discussion, “I mean, lets face it they already tortured her right?” Isaac continued “What else is there left to do? Rape her?”  
“You shut your fucking mouth!” Stiles snapped, lunging forward a few paces, Scott's grip tightened around his arm  
“What the fuck Isaac” Erica frowned  
“Don't fucking say shit like that about her!” Stiles struggled against Scott's grip  
“It's true though isn't it?” Isaac asked, his face impassive “If they don't kill her, she's just going to wind up killing herself just like your mom did”  
Even Scott growled at the boys words, Stiles felt his grip loosening as his anger grew  
“How can you say something like that you fucking asshole?” Stiles demanded “Allison has done nothing but try and protect you from those hunters”  
“She's protecting Lydia and Scott. Not me”  
“She fucking saved Erica that night!” Scott snapped, Stiles was vaguely aware how it was this that drew the attention of other students  
“She didn't set up to save Erica”  
“But she still saved me” Erica replied quietly, “The twins didn't have to cut me loose Isaac, what the fuck are you doing?” she grabbed his arm  
“Derek said that you two are a strategic advantage, I can see how you help, but Allison? What can she do to help now? She can't even talk about what happened to her without having a breakdown. She's dead weight so we're better off putting her to good use and giving her to Gerard, they can find a use for her there”  
“I swear to God Isaac,” Stiles snarled “you better fucking run because if Lydia heard you say that you can bet your pale fucking ass she's on her way to tear your fucking throat out you pathetic little boy”  
Isaac had the audacity to smile “Right, right” he nods slowly, expression thoughtful “Because Allison can't even fight her own battles any more, can she? Not with the way her hands shake” Stiles can feel his body shaking with rage, he wants Lydia to be here right now to shut him up, to make him bleed “You gave her that gun of yours didn’t you?” Isaac asked, Scott growled again “Think she'll follow in your moms footsteps? Or will she fuck that up too? Will she need Lydia to pull the trigger for-” Isaac didn't get a chance to finish, Scott let go of Stiles and Stiles was never more thankful for it as he lunged across the short distance, ignoring the burning in his knuckles as his fist connected with Isaac's jaw, before he could get another punch in, Erica was shoving him back into Scott and attacking Isaac herself, grabbing his shirt firmly in one hand and hitting him with a force only a wolf could muster  
“What the _fuck_ Isaac” she snarled, lips curling, Stiles was sure he saw her eyes flash for a moment “You went too fucking far”  
Scott's arms hooked under Stiles' to stop him from interfering again “Too far?” Stiles asked “What are you fucking talking about?”  
“You know what I’m like” Erica pinned Isaac to the lockers, ignoring the gathering crowd “I like to rile people up”  
“That wasn't riling Erica” Scott replied in a growl “That was out of line”  
A sharp ring pierced the air, the four of them turned to the sound to come eye to eye with a incredibly pissed off looking Coach  
“Oh fuck” Stiles muttered

  
 **  
**Lydia had lost it the moment she had heard the word 'rape', she had been unable to stop the vicious snarl that tore through her throat and could only be thankful that the hallway they had been walking down was empty. Boyd had been swift to act, grabbing her and all but throwing her into an empty classroom and blocking the exit with his body  
“Let me go” She growled  
“Not until you calm down”  
Lydia all but laughed in his face, how could she calm down when she could hear every word exchanged between Stiles and Isaac, how was Stiles letting Isaac say those things?  
“Did you know this was going to happen? Is that why you came with me?”  
Boyd actually looked hurt at Lydia's words, they hadn't interacted much, but from Lydia had gathered, he was essentially as soft spoken as Scott could be, despite his size  
“No,” He replied calmly “I meant what I said, I do need help with math”  
“But?” She prompted, there had to be a catch and she really did need to focus on something other than the image of Isaac's throat hanging from her claws  
Boyd shrugs “Stiles has Scott, Erica has Isaac and you-”  
“I have Allison”  
“But she isn't here right now. Derek is with her”  
Lydia pauses, she watches Boyd for a few moments “You're protecting me?”  
“I think...” Boyd's lips quirk into a small smile “You're the one who would protect me if it came to it. We need to stick together, despite our differences”  
Lydia straightens up but keeps on ear focused on the argument going on down the hall, just close enough so she can still hear. Both her and Boyd bristle as Isaac calls Allison dead weight  
“Just so you know, my opinions on Allison and Stiles differ from Isaac’s”  
“I think you should explain exactly what the fuck is going on” Lydia snapped  
Boyd sighs and pushes away from the door “This morning we went to see Derek, Erica and Isaac had some reservations about how trustworthy the twins were and while Erica did make a few good points, Derek shot them both down, he trusts the twins completely. She just wanted to rile you up today, Stiles too- she gets a kick from it”  
“Don't I know” Lydia sighs “And Isaac?”  
“I think this is his way of coping, he's scared”  
“We're all scared Boyd” Lydia moves past him and pulls the door open “But that doesn't give him the right to go around saying that shit, that's Allison he's talking about”  
“Lydia you should go-”  
“I'm not going to hurt him, much. Not here” Lydia called back, she heard Isaac compare Allison to her mother and felt a flash of rage  
“Lydia-”  
“Disregard my last comment” Lydia growled, moving faster now, she balled her fists when she heard Isaac continue, she rounded the corner just as Stiles punched him, feeling Boyd grab her before she could launch into the fight. She made a mental note to give Erica a less condescending look the next time she saw her. She had to cover her ears when the Coach showed up  
“Fuck” she muttered as she caught Stiles' eye  
“What do we tell Allison?” Boyd asked  
“The truth, I guess” Lydia frowned “We can't lie to her”  
“The whole truth?”  
Lydia nodded as the group, Scott included were led away before turning to Boyd “She has a right to know. Derek needs to be told too... But, I think maybe it's a conversation better suited for in person”  
“I'll drive you, after school”  
Lydia nodded and smiled “I appreciate that. I'll uh, email you whatever you need to know, math wise”  
Boyd smiled back **  
  
**

  
Derek watches Allison as he clears away some of the rubble from the room they're in, part of Derek wants to fix this house, to bring it back to it's former glory, just how he remembered it from his childhood.  
But he knows that even if he fixed every detail, even if he painted it exactly how it used to be, it wouldn't feel like home, not again  
There was too many rooms for just him, with no family left to fill it. His parents were gone, Laura was gone, Cora was gone  
So many lives lost  
Maybe it would be better to let it fall apart, find somewhere else to call home, he could afford it, he had the money from his parents. There were plenty of apartments in Beacon Hills, places with working heat and water and electricity. Now that Peter's gone and he has.... sort of a pack, maybe it's time to find somewhere more permanent. Allison shifts and Derek frowns at the sudden pain shooting through her, her face remains neutral save for the smallest furrowing of her brow. She's been reading on her phone since they had eaten a quiet lunch of the various foods Derek had picked up the night before, all he really knew about Allison's taste was that she had a fondness for red vines, everything else had been a guess- to Allison's credit, she didn't complain, if anything she had looked amused  
He knew she had photos on the bestiary on her phone, he was willing to bet that was what she had been reading  
She's a fighter, that's what Erica and Isaac don't seem to be able to see. They see someone who can't hold a weapon, they see her as weak for that. Being a wolf does that to you. Sometimes you forget how fragile people can be, they don't see the strength Allison has to hold herself together, Derek knows her trauma lies deeper than just the events that have transpired recently, that her childhood is a myriad of darkness that she shared with Stiles, they grew up with Kate Argent, that was all Derek needed to know really, he wondered if Chris could be as monstrous as she was and if it was linked to having Gerard as a father.  
Anybody who could survive a childhood like that and come out on the other side only to be subjected to a cruel and brutal torture was somebody Derek would be glad to call an ally. And he meant what he had said, you can never trust an Argent  
But the thing is, Stiles and Allison don't possess the qualities of an Argent. They aren't hunters, they aren't cruel- they only ever seem to think about other people, never themselves. Stiles focuses on Allison and Scott while Allison focuses on Lydia and Stiles. They make a good team.  
“Derek” Allison speaks up hesitantly, Derek turns back to her and raises an eyebrow “Can you tell me about being a wolf?”  
Derek sets down the crumbling piece of wood and walks over to her “What do you want to know?” Allison bites her lip and stares back at her phone for a few moments  
“It's just, this is a good source of information you know? But... Predictably, it feels biased, which is unsurprising considering it comes from a long family line of hunters...” She laughs nervously “It just makes more sense to hear from an actual wolf, a born wolf”  
“I'll tell you whatever you want to know” Derek replies “You already know a lot, from being around Scott during his adjustment, you know that the bite will heal any scars and injuries you may have” He adds that last part in, if not to test the waters, it was the only reason he could think of as to why Allison would suddenly ask  
Allison's eyebrows shoot up into her hairline “I- no, no!” Allison shook her head “I... I'm not asking.. I don't want you to bite me”  
Derek blinked at her “Oh” he frowned because that had been his only thought as to why she would be asking, in a way he was glad. There was no way Lydia would allow him to bite Allison, not unless Derek wanted her to tear his throat out, biting Allison would imply an ownership, Lydia wouldn't stand for that “I'm sorry”  
“Don't be” Allison dismissed “I don't think it'd go down well if you bit me, your pack... They wouldn't like it-” She cut herself off, looking lost in thought and Derek could only imagine what she was thinking about “Besides...” She started after a moment “A bite may fix the scars on my body.. But they won't fix the scars here” she tapped at her temple  
Derek didn't mean to laugh, he was as surprised by it as Allison was “I'm sorry” he said “It was just... You reminded me of someone”  
His words only seemed to confuse Allison further and he was reminded of another brown eyed girl he had once known  
“Who?” Allison asked  
“Someone I knew a long time ago” Derek replied “What did you want to know?”  
Allison blinked several times “Oh!” she handed the phone to Derek, he took it with a frown and stared at the foreign words in front of him. Derek looked up to Allison, her expression suddenly serious, eyes bright with curiosity  
“What does revendication mean?” he asked  
Allison pulled her lower lip between her teeth and held his gaze

 

 **  
**Scott runs a hand over Stiles' shoulder blades, feeling the tension dissipate slightly  
“Be glad we just got a detention Stiles” Scott muttered, he had hoped for it to sound comforting but....Well, he wasn't even sure how it had sounded  
“Scott's right, they could have called your father, hell, you could have been suspended or expelled” Lydia added, Scott flashed her a small smile that she barely managed to return, god, even she looked exhausted. Scott didn't want to think about how he probably looked  
“I want to kill him” Stiles whispered  
“You and me both” Lydia replied, her gaze focused on the board at the front of the room  
“I... feel like I might agree” Scott sighed, he felt both pairs of eyes on him immediately “I know”  
“Shit” he heard Stiles sit up  
“I think our little truce might be over between them, don't you think?” Lydia asks  
“What about Derek?” Stiles turns to her  
“Derek's fine. Boyd too” Lydia leans back in her seat and twirls her pen between her fingers  
“Boyd has always been fine with us” Scott says, he twists In his seat slightly, work forgotten “Are you sure about Derek?”  
“Unless Erica or Isaac called him, he doesn't know about what happened here”  
“Are we going to tell Allison?” Scott asks  
“Yes” Lydia says  
“What?” Stiles turns to her “We can't-”  
“Why not?”  
“What If she freaks out?”  
Lydia glares at Stiles “We're not keeping this from her, it'll get out eventually and I would rather her hear it from one of us today”  
Stiles clenches his fists, a movement not missed by Scott or Lydia, Lydia even lifts her chin, daring Stiles to object  
“Even if you don't want her to know, you have detention, remember? I'm telling her.”  
Scott _hears_ Stiles grind his teeth together “Fine” he bites out “you do that” he turns back to his work, Lydia looks over his shoulder and gives Scott a confused look, one he can only match with a shrug  
“My mom is going to be pissed when she finds out” Scott sighs, gently easing the conversation away from it's current target  
“Well, technically you didn't do anything, just say you got caught in the crossfire” Lydia shrugged, writing a set of answers into her book, Scott nodded, glancing at Stiles, the boy seemed to be actively ignoring them at this point. Scott frowned and followed Lydia's example  
The three of them worked in silence for the rest of the class, the moment the final bell rang out Lydia was on her feet, shoving her books in her bag  
“I'll meet you at Derek's okay?” She said  
Scott nodded “How are you-”  
“Boyd's driving me”  
“Ah”  
Lydia spared Stiles a brief glance and gave Scott a look that he could only interpret as 'keep him safe' before muttering a quick goodbye  
Stiles watched her go and sighed heavily “Let's get this over with, I have a sister I need to see” **  
  
  
  
**Derek tensed the moment he caught the faint scent of wolfsbane, an involuntary growl leaving his lips  
“Derek?”  
Derek got to his feet, he turned to Allison and shoved her phone in her hands “Call Lydia. Tell her to get here. _Now._ ”  
“What's happening?” Panic filled Allison's eyes immediately  
Derek looked back out to the front of the house “Gerard, he's here. He's brought company”  
Allison sucked in a harsh breath, Derek turned back to her and crouched down so they were level “He's not taking you. I promised Lydia, call her” he reached for the gun and placed it in her free hand “Don't hesitate to fire. If you hear me roar... Run”  
“Derek-”  
“Call Lydia. Keep breathing. I'm not letting them take you”  
Allison managed a quick nod and began to fumble with the phone as Derek let his claws slide out and felt his face begin to shift. He stormed from the house as Gerard approached, two hunters on either side of him, his gaze caught the two he recognised from the day Allison had been given back, the slash across his cheek even more horrific than he remembered  
“Derek Hale” Gerard greeted  
“Argent” Derek growled “What are you doing here?”  
Gerard shrugged “I just thought I would pay you a visit, tell me, is my granddaughter here?”  
“No” Derek snarled  
Gerard laughed “See, I know that's a lie” Derek didn't react in any other way than crouching slightly, poised ready to attack at a moments notice, how Gerard had known Allison was here was a mystery to him, he knew they hadn't been watched, they were so careful to make sure nobody saw “I would very much like to see her”  
“I would very much like for you to get the fuck away from here” Derek snapped  
"How sweet" Gerard practically sang "The wolf wants to protect an Argent"  
"She's not an Argent" Derek growled "Neither of them are, they stopped being Argent's the minute you tortured a sixteen year old girl!"  
"So what are you going to do wolf? Take them in? Protect them? Love them? They'll never replace the family you lost you know" Gerard smirked  
“Where's Chris?” Derek asked “Couldn't bear to face his daughter? Can't face the consequences of his actions? Tell me Argent, did you mean to raise such a coward?”  
Gerard tensed, Derek felt the mans heart spike, Derek barrelled on “A coward for a son and a psychopath for a daughter, you really did well didn't you? Is that why you want Allison and Stiles? Do you think you can replace them?”  
Gerard laughed again "The Alpha Hale, caring for the weak Argent girl, tell me, how much of Kate do you see in Allison?"  
Derek curled his fists "Not a god damn thing"  
"Are you sure about that?"  
"Certain" he let his claws slide out "Kate was a psychopath, she was a monster. Allison is nothing like that. Nothing like your fucked up family. If you want her, you're going to have to go through me"  
“Oh, I was hoping you would say that” 

 **  
  
**Boyd shoots her a worried glance as Lydia's phone begins to ring, it doesn't help her feelings of dread when she sees Allison's picture light up the screen  
“Allison? Is everything-” Lydia cuts herself off, she can make out the sounds of Derek yelling at someone in the background, Gerard's sickening voice coming through a moment later, Allison's ragged breathing takes her focus “Allison?”  
“Lydia, please”  
“Boyd-”  
“I'm on it” He hits the gas  
“We're nearly there Allison, just breathe with me okay? Stay calm”  
“He's here Lyds, he's here for me”  
“Gerard?” Lydia asks, Allison whines “He's not going to get you”  
“N- not Gerard”  
Lydia hears Gerard ask if Allison is anything like Kate  
“Who, Allison?”  
Lydia hears a roar and the line goes dead  
“Allison? Allison?” She turns to Boyd “Drive faster” she snaps, already letting herself shift  
Boyd's claws slide out as he grips the steering wheel “You've got it” **  
  
  
**

Allison was already having trouble breathing, her body was already aching and every movement already hurt  
But Derek had told her to run if he roared. So she clutched her phone in one hand, the gun in the other and ran  
She ran through the back door and into the trees, she hears Derek in the distance, can make out the sounds of gunshots and prays she hasn't just left the alpha alone to face his death  
She can also hear twigs snapping somewhere not far behind her. Allison looks down at the gun in her trembling hand and makes sure the safety is off, she's about to move out of the way of a tree when she hears the sound of something being thrown, immediately followed by the feeling of rope tangling around her ankles, she cries out as she crashes to the ground, just managing to bring one of the arms up to cover her face as she connected with the dirt Allison spits fallen leaves from her mouth, gun still clenched tightly in her right hand. Allison rolls over and looks down at her bound ankles, recognising the weapon as a bolas, Stiles had remarked once how a simple piece of rope with to weighted balls on either side made such a good weapon  
She had never understood what he had meant until now  
“Well that was anticlimactic” A voice sighs, Allison follows it and feels her blood go cold as her eyes lock onto the familiar hunter, Cocky  
Allison felt her breathing hitch as she tries to free herself with one hand, raising the gun with the other and firing, missing spectacularly  
“Not so ballsy without your grandpa here to stop me are you?” He asked, moving slowly towards her, Allison whines, low in the back of her throat as she drags herself backwards, firing another shot, Cocky just steps to the side, completely unperturbed by her attempts at fending him off  
She feels her back connect with bark and lets out a sob, Derek was probably dead, Lydia was nowhere to be found and her worst fear was walking towards her with a self satisfied smirk on his face  
She couldn't breath  
He kicked the gun from her hand and she was sure she felt a bone snap in her fingers, it didn't matter. She'd had worse, he grabbed her shirt and hoisted her up and slammed her back against the tree, her feet barely touching the ground, she felt tears rolling down her cheek  
“What? No sarcastic comeback? Not like you” he tutted “You're no fun at all” Allison felt her body trembling, her phone slipping from her hands “Gerard told me I should bring you back straight away...” He paused to look over his shoulder, the forest ominously quiet now “But I think we have time, don't you? I did make you a promise after all and I’d hate to let you down”  
“Please” Allison begged “Don't”  
Cocky laughed “After what you did to me, you really think _begging_ will work?” he shook his head slowly, expression morphing into something darker as he curled his fingers slowly around her throat, squeezing the air from her bit by bit “You scarred me for life” he taps his cheek with his free hand “you've surrounded yourselves with those fucking wolves of yours but I told you, the moment you let your guard down, I would be here. It was just a matter of time” He moves closer, eyes darkening, fingers tightening, pulling a choked whimper from Allison “Who's going to save you now Argent?”  
A growl off to the side of them followed swiftly by a gunshot shocked a cry from Allison as Cocky's hand released her to grip at his shoulder and fall to the ground. Allison crumpled down, looking from the man to the figure standing off to her right  
“Me” Lydia snarled, she kept the gun trained on him as she stormed closer, she kicked him harshly, forcing him onto his back before stepping on the wound “You fucking piece of shit” She snarled  
“Lydia-” Allison gasped, she curled onto her side  
“I'm here Allison, I'm here” her voice softens only momentarily “Your friends retreated. You're all alone” She crouched slightly to stare at the man “I should put you down you fucking monster”  
“Coming from you” Cocky spat. Lydia fired, the bullet impaling the ground beside his head  
“This is what's going to happen” Lydia growled “You're going to get up and you're going to leave” She reaches down and pulls his guns from his hips “You're going to go back to your hunters and you're going to tell them not to fuck with us”  
“Knife” Allison whispers, her voice hoarse as she brings a hand up to her throat “Boot”  
Lydia complies and pulls the weapon from his boot and throws it, she steps off of him “Get up” She orders  
He complies and Allison catches his gaze as he gets up  
“Don't look at her” Lydia snaps  
Cocky has the gall to laugh  
“You know what” Lydia stares at him for a moment “I think we need to even that out” Before Cocky could open his mouth, Lydia slashed at him, claws tearing through his other cheek creating a neat parallel injury to the one Allison had given him “There, much better” she wipes her claws on his shirt and shoves at him “Now run, before I put you down”  
Allison watches him retreat, keeps her eyes fixed on Lydia's figure, the gun falling from her hand the moment he's out of sight  
“Allison-” Lydia spins around “Are you okay?”  
Allison shakes her head, feeling the tears come harder, a sob breaking through her lips, god, she wasn't okay. She was so far from okay, Lydia pulls at her until she's sat upright, she feels Lydia's claws slash through the binding around her ankles and lets Lydia pull her against her “I'm sorry, I’m so sorry” Lydia buries her face into Allison's hair, Allison clings on, fingers digging painfully into Lydia's shirt “I'm sorry Allison”  
“I was going to tell you about him” Allison chokes out between sobs “I was going to tell you tonight”  
“Oh Allison,” Lydia pulls her closer, shifts until Allison is in her lap, she feels Lydia's lips against her hair “I'm sorry”  
“Please, please don't hate me” Allison whispers, all too aware of how her tears are soaking through Lydia's shirt  
“I could never, _never_ hate you Allison” Lydia replies equally as quietly “I love you Allison, you're my best friend, you mean so much to me and nothing is going to change that”  
“I was scared” Allison continues, “I was more afraid of him than Gerard, I _am_ more afraid” he had been so close, too close, she can still feel his fingers around her neck, Lydia's hold on her is easing away the feelings piece by piece but she can't breathe, she can't think, she can barely even register Lydia talking to her  
“He's not going to touch you. Ever. Do you hear me?” Lydia growls “I should have killed him” she sounds almost regretful  
“Is Derek okay?” Allison asks between her sobs  
“A little beat up, but he's fine. He'll be fine. Boyd's with him” Lydia rubs her hands over Allison's shoulders “I'm so sorry I wasn't here in time”  
“You're here, you stopped it” Allison hooked her arms around Lydia's body “You saved me Lyds”  
Lydia didn't reply, instead she just held her close, keeping her face tucked into Allison's hair, Allison kept her ear pressed against Lydia's heart, focusing on the way it hammered in her chest  
“We should get back” Lydia spoke up eventually  
“Where's Stiles and Scott?” Allison asked, she leant back enough to wipe at the tears, Lydia let go of Allison and cupped her face in her hands to wipe her thumbs under her eyes  
“That's what we need to talk about, you me and Derek” Lydia spoke softly “They're in detention”  
“What happened?”  
“Did Stiles tell you about Isaac?”  
Allison nodded “What happened?”  
“I'll explain when we get to Derek okay?” Lydia smiled softly, it was only then Allison realised Lydia was crying too  
“W- why are you crying?” Allison asked, reaching out to wipe at Lydia's cheeks, Lydia's eyes fluttered shut, her head falling forward until their foreheads came to rest together  
“I'm just glad I got here in time, I... I don't want to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't, I’m sorry. I should have been here sooner”  
Allison ducked her head to press against Lydia's chest once more, feeling Lydia hook her chin over her head “You're here now, don't feel guilty, you saved me remember”  
Lydia made a sound almost like a laugh “Always thinking about everyone but yourself, I’m supposed to be the comforting one” Lydia mutters, her voice wavering  
“I think it works better when you have someone there for you” Allison sighs “I'll comfort you-”  
“And I’ll comfort you” Lydia replies, Allison nods against her neck “Can I carry you back? Or do you want to walk?”  
“Can we just stay like this?” Allison asked “Just for a few more minutes?”  
A moment passes before she feels Lydia's hands around her again  
“Okay, a few more minutes” **  
  
  
  
**Lydia had been the one to send the message, she had made it clear that Allison had given her clear consent before she had written it before going on to explain the attack, how Derek had taken on Gerard and three other hunters, getting cut up and pretty badly beaten, how Boyd had stepped in and put them on more even ground. How Gerard had laughed as they retreated.  
How Lydia had ran through the forest, tracking Allison's scent until she found her pinned against a tree by a fourth hunter. Lydia had told him what the man had said to Allison. Described to Stiles how she had shot him, had clawed him.  
She told him how the man had threatened to rape Allison while she was being held captive  
She had finished the message by telling Stiles not to call, that Allison didn't want to speak to him, Lydia had no reason to offer because she insisted that she didn't know  
Stiles was crying in the parking lot after he had read the message, he thinks he started screaming, he remembers Scott staring at him with horror and reading the message himself  
Stiles remembers seeing Erica and Isaac in the empty parking lot and screaming at them as Scott stood frozen beside him, he remembers Erica's expression, how she had paled. He thinks he told Isaac that he was dead meat.  
Erica had dragged him away and Stiles had climbed into his Jeep, Scott following suit.  
He could hear Scott talking to him as he drove but he couldn't make out the words for the life of him. He's too busy thinking of ways to make this scarred hunter suffer, how many ways Stiles could make him scream and beg until he finally took pity and put him down  
Lydia should have killed him  
But Allison didn't want to talk to him, Stiles couldn't understand why, he hadn't done anything, if she could face Lydia after what had happened, why not him?  
He was aware of Scott talking beside him as he drove but none of the words registered, it was only when he switched the engine off and looked up did he hear Scott  
“What are we doing here?”  
Stiles climbed out of his Jeep and walked up the path to his house, Chris' car was nowhere in sight and Scott would say if there was someone inside  
“I know you don't want to kill” Stiles unlocks the door, destination in mind “But that asshole needs to pay and I’m not going to let hi near my sister again” he walks into the garage “We're going to need a bag”  
“Stiles...”  
“They have guns. We have claws. Who has the advantage Scott?” Stiles snaps  
  
He can tell Scott is uncomfortable with the weapons behind them as they drive to Derek's, Stiles checks the mirror and his eye catches Allison's bow, the crossbow he had been given for his fifteenth birthday  
“Stiles...”  
“I'm fine”  
“No you're not”  
“Neither are you” Stiles keeps his eyes on he road  
Scott sighs and Stiles keeps driving. He needs to know why Allison didn't want to speak to him  
Stiles wants to find Chris, ask him if this Is what hunter do, threaten to rape a sixteen year old girl, he wants to know if Chris knows about this guy, if Gerard knows. And if they do. How can they let it happen?  
Chris did some fucked up stuff to them, he made them both suffer in very different ways  
But what kind of matriarchy could justify this?  
Stiles slammed his door shut with such force when he got out that had he been in the right mind, he probably would have apologised to the vehicle. He glances at Scott and doesn't miss the worried look he gives them  
Stiles walks into the Hale house and finds Allison sat with her head buried in Lydia's neck, Boyd nods at him as he steps into the living room. He's surprised to see Derek lingering near Allison, not enough to interrupt with Allison and Lydia, but enough to be a steady presence  
“Allison...” Stiles says as he walks closer and everybody, Lydia included seems to be surprised at how quickly Allison is on her feet and walking towards him “are you-” he holds his arms out in invitation and hears everybody gasp when Allison punches him, Stiles clutches his cheek as he stumbles away, tasting blood immediately  
“You _punched_ her?” Allison snaps “Why the fuck did you punch her? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Her voice is growing louder, every sentence punctuated with a shove. Stiles is too shocked to react at first “Why would you fucking punch her?!” Allison yelled again, she moves to punch him again, this time Stiles is ready and catches her fist, spinning her and pushing her into the wall  
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Stiles yells back, he hears movement behind him and a low growl  
“Lydia!” Allison growls “Why the _fuck_ did you punch her?”  
Stiles frowns “I didn't-” and then he remembers “What the fuck, that was days ago!”  
“Why did you do it?!”  
“Because I was fucking angry!” Stiles yells back, he sees fear flash in Allison's eyes, their faces inches apart “Because you were gone!”  
The anger is back in Allison's expression as she shoves him away “You fucking blamed her for it!” Allison strides forward “You told her it was her fault! You let her think it was her fault!”  
“I was angry!” Stiles glances at Lydia, at her expression, she seems confused, she hadn't anticipated this, but she was also being held back by Derek  
“That's not a fucking excuse!” Allison screamed back, she wipes at the tears on her eyes and Stiles can make out the faint bruises on her neck, this wasn't how this was supposed to go at all. He was supposed to be comforting her from what had just happened to her, not yelling at her for something he had done when she wasn't even present “You keep letting your anger take control of you!”  
“I can't help it” Stiles growls stepping closer and glaring down at her, his fists clenched, Allison's eyes flicker down to his fists and she takes a shaky breath  
“You hurt people when you're angry”  
“Don't I know it” He replies, low and quiet and he hadn't mean to say it like that, he knew how bad it had sounded the moment he saw the terror flash in her eyes again, the way she took a step back  
Stiles can't help himself, he moves towards her, Scott's body moving between them, his hands gripping Stiles' shoulders, Stiles can only see disappointment in his eyes  
“I can't- I can't do this” Allison shakes her head  
“We all need to breathe” Scott says, his own voice sounds forced  
“I can't” Allison's voice cracks, she looks at Stiles and he feels all of his anger fall apart, she's looking at him like she had done that night “I _can't_ ”  
“Allison-” Lydia is by Allison's side and Stiles can't bring himself to look away, can't look at Scott again  
“I need to leave” Allison whispers  
“Wherever you want to go” Lydia replies  
“I can't-” Allison shakes her head  
“Lydia,” Scott speaks up quietly “Maybe it's best you and Allison stay at your place tonight”  
Stiles can feel Lydia's eyes on him “I think that's a good idea, Allison?”  
Allison makes a sound caught somewhere between an agreement and a sob, whatever energy that had fuelled her argument with Stiles now gone  
“I'll drive you” Boyd speaks up

 

 **  
**Lydia is glad her mother isn't home when Boyd drops them off, Allison hasn't spoken since her meltdown back at Derek's, Lydia was as shocked as the rest of them, she realised Derek must had said something about Stiles punching her, he had been the only one to not react as much when the whole ordeal had happened. Lydia kept her hand on the small of Allison's back as she led her to her room, sitting Allison on her bed and easing off their shoes before climbing up beside her and letting Allison lean in against her, her body a stripe of warm  
Lydia had seen genuine terror in Allison's eyes when Stiles had advanced on her, but Allison had had one hell of a day- and that was the biggest fucking understatement  
She worries if Allison will feel safe in the house with only one wolf, Lydia contemplates calling Derek and getting him to stand guard for them  
Allison smells like Derek  
She really doesn't like it, it only adds to the stress and anger her wolf is feeling  
“It's all falling apart” Allison whispers  
“Yeah” Lydia replied honestly, first Erica and Isaac have to turn on them, now Allison and Stiles can't be in the same room as each other “But it'll be okay”  
“Will it?”  
“I don't know. But times like this often require Scott's sense of optimism” her words earn a dry laugh from Allison, she pulls Allison closer against her “But I’m going to keep you safe”  
Allison turns into her and embraces her, Lydia eases them down and shifts them until they're lying side by side “I'm scared Lydia”  
“Yeah, me too”  
“Stiles is losing it”  
“Scott has Stiles” Lydia pulled Allison closer  
“I still need to tell you” Allison mumbles “About that night”  
“When you're ready, I’m listening”  
“But...” Allison hesitates, her hands playing with the hem of Lydia's blouse, Lydia waits patiently and sure enough, a few moments later Allison continues “I want to forget, just for a while”  
“Whatever you want to do Allison”  
“Can we pretend, just for a little while? Pretend that this is a normal sleepover where you do my nails and my make-up”  
Lydia pulls away and sits up, Allison rolls onto her back and stares up at Lydia “You want me to give you a makeover?” Lydia frowns  
“Yeah” Allison sits up and stares at Lydia seriously “I just need to forget for a while”  
Lydia holds her gaze for a while before nodding, “Okay, but we need to get you out of those clothes, you smell like Derek” She tries not to sound jealous, but she can't help it, she's territorial like that. Surprisingly, Allison blushes  
“He leant me his jacket” She explains “It was cold” she shrugs before giving Lydia a look “I don't like smelling like him either. Can I borrow something?”  
Lydia smiles and squeezes Allison's hand “I have a stash of oversized hoodies and sweat pants with our names on it” Clothes that smell like Lydia, as much as she loves Allison's natural scent, Allison smelling like Lydia makes her let out a hum of approval

 

  
Scott stares up at he ceiling as he spreads his arms out along his bed, he hates how empty it feels without Stiles, Allison and Lydia  
He felt so horribly alone his chest ached from it  
Allison was safe with Lydia, so it wasn't all bad. And Stiles? Well, he was alive and Scott assumed he was safe  
He honestly didn't know  
Dinner had been a battlefield, his mother leading an onslaught full of questions and by the time he had cleared his plate he had felt sick from every lie he had answered back with- he knows she could see right through him. He listened to his mother move through the house  
Sometimes he wanted to tell her what he was, what had happened, what was going on, she had a right to know the goings on of the town, the violence and bloodshed going on right under her nose. Maybe then he wouldn't have to worry about keeping her safe all of the time  
Maybe she could even offer advice, she could help.  
Help with Allison who's probably crying into Lydia's arms as she adds another few years of therapy to her list. His mom could help  
She could help Stiles, who's currently shooting things with a crossbow Scott didn't even know he owned and is falling into something so dark so fast, Scott can't catch him  
Scott had watched his two best friends crash and burn today, they had fallen apart with such speed all Scott had been able to do watch watch, listen and _feel_  
He had watched Allison's fear increase, Stiles' anger grow  
He had heard their hearts beat so fast and so out of sync it felt like his eardrums were going to burst  
He felt the moment Allison had lost it, whatever adrenaline had fuelled her anger had dissipated the instant Stiles had moved towards her  
He had to intervene, he couldn't bear it any longer  
Besides, it was better him than Lydia, he knew what she had done to the hunter and he wasn't willing to risk letting Stiles fall to a similar fate  
The twins had said this was going to happen, that Gerard would push at them until they broke  
He had just expected it to take longer  
Scott sighed as he sat up, reaching for his phone, Stiles wasn't picking up and Derek had merely sent a text when Scott had tried to call the alpha saying that he would call if anything went wrong  
Scott fiddled with a loose thread on his jeans as the phone rang  
“Scott?” Only Lydia could manage to sound irritated and worried at once “What's wrong?”  
Scott sighed “I needed to make sure you're both okay”  
There's silence on the other line, he can make out Allison's steady breathing “We're okay” Lydia says eventually “How's Stiles?”  
“I don't know” Scott fell back against the bed “He wouldn't come back, he's staying with Derek” Scott listens to Lydia repeat the words back to Allison  
“He's safe out there” Allison mumbles “Derek will make sure he doesn't do anything”  
“Lydia” Scott says quietly, he knows Allison can't hear him but it's a habit he hasn't quite been able to kick yet “Is she okay?”  
“She's okay” Lydia replies, “look, we'll see you tomorrow-”  
“Yeah, yeah of course” Scott stutters “I'm sorry to interrupt”  
“Bye Scott”  
“Keep her safe”  
“You know I will”  
Scott sighs as the line goes dead, at least Allison seems to be coping well enough.  
Scott looks up as his door knocks  
“Yeah?”  
His mom pushes the door open and leans against the frame, throwing something in his direction  
“Found this in the bathroom” she says as he catches it, Scott stares at it for a moment before realising it's the ointment Deaton had given Allison “What is it?”  
“Uh- it's a ointment for dealing with grass burns, Danny gave it me last week cause I kept falling”  
His mom stared at him unconvinced for a while “Well, its empty”  
“Yeah.. I've been meaning to ask him for more” Scott sets the object on the side with a frown, if Allison is out of ointment, then how much more pain is she putting herself through right now? Lydia can only take so much pain from her  
He's willing to bet Lydia doesn't know  
“Scott” his mom sighs, moving further into the room and sitting on the bed beside him “Is everything okay?”  
“Yeah, yeah everything is fine”  
“Is Stiles okay? All you said was that he got into a fight”  
“He's fine, he just... He just wanted to stay at Boyd's, they share a lot of classes tomorrow and there's homework y'know?”  
“Scott” she sighs “What's going on with the twins? Where's Allison?” Scott opens his mouth to speak when she holds a hand up to cut him off “I know she hasn't been with Lydia, I ran into her mother today”  
Scott bit down on his tongue, there was no way he could talk his way out of this situation  
“Is everything okay at their house?”  
In the end Scott just sighed “I don't know” He replied “I don't know”  
“What do you mean?” she asked gently  
“I don't know anything” Scott whispered, it was the first time he hadn't lied, not entirely, he _didn't_ know anything, he didn't know what was going through the twins minds, they hadn't told him anything  
He didn't know Stiles owned a fucking crossbow  
“Okay” His mom said eventually, she squeezed his arm as she got up and moved from the room, Scott frowned as he watched her go, hand moving to the spot where she had touched him  
Stiles and Allison wouldn't tell him what had happened to them, but he knew Allison had broken her arm  
A thought struck him and he leapt to his feet, grabbing his hoodie and moving towards the window, climbing through it and dropping down to the ground in one swift movement  
He knows exactly where to go

 **  
  
  
**Lydia had dressed her in clothes Allison was sure she would never allow anybody else to see (she suspected it was from Lydia's 'full moon' collection)  
She didn't mind, they smelt like Lydia and if the girl wasn't sat right in front of her Allison would probably bury her face into the deep red hoodie  
Lydia's attention was fixed on her nails, her steady hands holding Allison's own shaking hand still as she painted a matching shade of red  
True to her word, Lydia hadn't brought up anything- save for during her brief conversation with Scott of course  
Allison couldn't say she regretted her outburst, punching Lydia had been out of line and even if it had happened while she was being held captive, it didn't mean that Stiles didn't need to be confronted on the matter  
Her only regret was how it had happened, that she had yelled at him when he had defended her when Isaac had said some really fucked up things. That she had yelled at him when the fear of what had happened to her was still lingering over her  
Allison thinks that maybe, just maybe, she may have pushed Stiles over the ledge, if the way his eyes had darkened as he stepped towards her was anything to go by anyway  
She wasn't going to deny how scared she had been  
“There!” Lydia announced with a smile “All done”  
Allison surveyed her hands, unsurprisingly, the work was nothing short of perfect “Thank you” She smiled as she met Lydia's eyes  
“Okay, now what?”  
Allison shrugged “You're the one to ask when it comes to make up, do whatever you want”  
Lydia stares at her for a moment, eyes studying her face, they move down to her neck where she can _feel_ where he had touched her, she hadn't looked in the mirror, but she knew there were bruises, or there were going to be  
“Okay” Lydia nodded finally, she moved off of the bed and moved around the room, if Allison _really_ listened she could make out the sounds of the TV downstairs where Lydia's mother was sat watching (“no doubt with a bottle of wine, she won't bother us”) Lydia hadn't even told her mother that Allison was here  
Lydia was sat in front of her again a moment later  
Allison is still as she applies the concealer, Lydia's brow furrows In concentration as she's careful not to apply too much pressure when she reaches the bruising. As Lydia works, Allison tries to keep still and ignore the pain building between her shoulder blades  
Lydia hesitates for a moment, holding Allison's gaze as she moves to Allison's neck and slowly applying the concealer there too  
Allison tries not to think about Stiles, in the woods with Derek or Scott all alone at home with nobody to talk to  
Lydia reaches for the eye-liner and holds Allison's chin steady with her free hand  
All thoughts that aren't Lydia fall away from her mind  
She thinks back to how only a few hours ago, Allison watched Lydia tear that hunters cheek open with the very hand holding her chin so delicately  
Maybe Allison should be scared. Chris had certainly spent enough time trying to convince her that wolves were monsters but all Allison could see was the girl who saved her  
She held more fear towards _Stiles_ than Lydia  
The biggest lesson Allison has learned in her short time on this planet is that humans are probably the real monsters  
Lydia holds up two tubes of lip gloss and Allison nods towards the darker shade, she knows the lighter one would probably suit her better, Lydia probably thinks so too, but she doesn't say anything as she shuffles slightly closer to wipe the colour over her lips  
“All done” Lydia declares five minutes later, sitting back to survey her handiwork, she's giving Allison a look she doesn't know how to decipher  
Allison uncrosses her legs and slides from the bed, making her way over to the mirror and she can't help the gasp that leaves her mouth  
She barely recognises herself  
Every bruise, every cut and mark from the neck up was gone, the bags that had made themselves known were gone  
The only sign that anything had happened was the split in the corner of her lip, barely visible underneath a generous coating of lip gloss. Allison touches her cheek and meets Lydia's eye in the background, the girl having moved from the bed to stand behind her  
“I... Look pretty again” Allison whispers and something in Lydia's expression shifts, she looks almost pained by Allison's words  
“Oh Allison” Lydia steps closer and presses her cheek against Allison's hair “You always look beautiful, with or without your injuries”  
Allison frowns, Lydia still doesn't know what sits underneath her clothing, Lydia nuzzles against Allison's hair again, forcing her to look up so their eyes meet again  
“Never frown Allison” Lydia says gently “someone could be falling in love with your smile”  
Allison _does_ smile at that, she turns so she can let her head fall against Lydia's shoulder  
“I think I’m ready to tell you about that night” She whispers **  
  
  
  
**“Scott?” Deaton raises an eyebrow as he walks into the building “What are you doing here so late?”  
Scott sets the tub down on the counter “Allison needs more”  
Deaton eyes it for a moment “I don't have any more”  
“Then make some”  
“It's not that simple” Deaton moves into the back room, Scott close at his heels “I promise to call as soon I have more available. How is Allison?”  
“She's a mess” Scott replies “I want to see her x-ray. Do you still have it?”  
Deaton flashes Scott a disapproving look “I do”  
“I want to see it” Deaton holds up a finger “She's not your patient, even if she was, you're a vet so you're not breaking any confidentiality agreements and even then, you showed us the x-ray when she was here”  
Deaton actually smiled at Scott. Scott held his head firm, nothing was going to deter him, not now. Deaton waved for him to follow  
“Why do you want to see it?”  
“I want you to tell me about the injuries you can see” Scott folds his arms as Deaton pulls the x-ray from a file “And if possible, what could have caused them all”  
Deaton stares down at the x-ray in his hands “That... Could take a while”  
Scott leans against the wall “I've got nowhere else to be”

 **  
**Stiles thinks maybe he's crying, or sweating  
Probably a combination of the two.  
For the most part, Derek has left him alone, left him to shoot every crossbow bolt he has into the nearest tree, to fire every arrow from Allison's bow until he can't hold either weapon in his hand any longer, feeling the blisters form and break painfully over the course of the afternoon  
He doesn't know what time it is now, only that it's late, he hasn't eaten. He knows Scott tried to call him a lot  
Now he was working on his form, throwing punch after punch at a smooth barked tree.  
He punches through the pain, visualises Gerard's face, the hunter that apparently now has a Joker esque smile. He pictures Chris' face, Kate's wicked grin  
He pictures himself  
“Isn't pain supposed to distract you from your anger?” Derek asks, arms folded  
“Who told you that? Allison?”  
“Yes. Actually”  
The alpha's words are enough to stop Stiles mid punch and oh- he hadn't realised how much his knuckles were bleeding  
“Come on” Derek turns away and walks back towards the house, Stiles frowns and follows him, eyes adjusted to the darkness he only stumbles a few times as he makes his way into the house, now lit by a small generator, Derek throws him a bottle of water and a pack of bandages  
“How much do you know?”  
“I know that you have monsters for family” Derek moves to the window “She didn't give specifics”  
“But she didn't have to” Stiles mutters through gritted teeth as he pours water over his knuckles  
“Like I said, you have monsters for family. You crossed paths with Kate Argent”  
“Kate didn't come near me” Stiles frowns “Not much”  
“She favoured Allison?”  
Stiles laughs harshly “You could say that” He inspects his knuckles near the dim light, not flinching at the sight  
“At least she's dead” Derek turns back to Stiles  
“Allison should have been the one to do it, not Peter Hale”  
Derek pursed his lips “You want Chris dead?”  
“I want all of the Argent's dead” Stiles through the bottle to the ground “Gerard needs to pay for what he did to Allison. Chris needs to pay for what he did to both of us. That fucking hunter needs to pay for what he threatened to do to my fucking sister! It's like you said” Stiles spits, walking back towards the door “I have monsters for family. Monsters breed monsters. They're evil. Evil runs through our blood. My mom is dead and Allison is the only good left. I'm going to find out what happened to my mom and I’m going to make sure she gets through this and they pay for what they've done to her”  
Derek lets him go **  
  
  
**  
Scott's mind is still reeling by the time he gets home, he can't begin to wrap his mind around what Deaton had told him- sure he had said they were only theories, but he had looked so sure, Scott had never had a reason to doubt Deaton before...  
But it was just so unbelievable  
It had taken at least half an hour to explain every fracture, every break and from there it was just Deaton offering up suggestions as to what _may_ have caused them  
Scott wanted to throw up  
He can't help but think that Stiles might have an x-ray like that somewhere, but if he did- why everything gone unnoticed? Why did nobody know  
Why hadn't they spoken up?  
He hears his mom walking up the stairs as he make his way to his window and he barely has the sense to kick off his sneakers and pull his hoodie off of him and climb under the blankets before she's knocking on his door again  
“I'm going out for a while, okay?” She smiles reassuringly as she pokes her head through the door  
“Where are you going?”  
She shrugs “To see a friend, I'll see you tomorrow okay?”  
Scott nods slightly “Okay, I love you”  
His mom smiles “I love you too” but there's a line of uncertainty across her brow, she's worried about something and Scott toys with the idea of following her  
He decides against it, his mother is entitled to privacy  
Scott buries his head further into the pillow  
He lets himself cry **  
  
  
**  
Lydia cries  
It's heartbreaking to watch but Allison carries on, she has to carry on. If she doesn't... She doesn't know if she'll have the strength to do It again.  
Lydia doesn't move, she sits opposite Allison and holds onto her hands like a lifeline and Allison focuses on the way the tears are rolling down the redheads cheeks as Allison tells Lydia every detail of her time with Gerard. She tells Lydia in detail the way she had been suspended until it felt like her shoulders were about to dislocate, the feel of the baton against her stomach as it slowly burnt her flesh  
The way she had been held under freezing cold water until her lungs were about to explode  
Allison feels herself start crying when she talks about Gerard digging into her with an assortment of knives. She watches Lydia's eyes flicker over her torso  
“How many?” Lydia asks quietly  
“I- I don't know, I... try not to look”  
Lydia purses her lips and holds onto her hands a little tighter, Allison doesn't let herself go into detail about the words exchanged- at this point Allison isn't even sure what words had been real and what had been figments of her nightmares, but Lydia didn't press  
Lydia never pushes  
She expects to see anger in Lydia's eyes, but she only finds hurt, and even that isn't the kind of hurt Allison was expecting. She was expecting to see Lydia look disappointed, disappointed because Allison hadn't told her sooner or because she wasn't telling her enough  
But no, Lydia just looked _heartbroken,_ as though every detail Allison revealed to her was physically painful for her to hear  
Maybe on a level it was, Allison didn't know how these things worked  
She still needs to talk about the brand, she can't hide it forever  
As she opens her mouth she's met with an onslaught of images, Kate's smirk taking the focus, Allison's hands move to her neck, where she knows the bruises from Cocky lie but instead of being thrown back to earlier in the forest she's a kid again.  
'I could kill you right now' Kate had said, her hand wrapped around Allison's throat and holding her up off of the ground while Stiles stands watch 'Power is knowing you can hold someone’s life in the balance. Making them realise it too, that in a moment, you could snap their neck. It makes the strongest people fall to their knees. That's what power is'  
“Allison?” Lydia's voice breaks through the haze, “What happened?”  
Allison shakes her head, she can _feel_ Kate's hand around her throat  
“Hey, hey” Lydia's hands are on her face now “I think that's enough now, don't you?”  
“Lydia-” Allison grips onto Lydia's hoodie and pulls her close “Lydia”  
“I'm here” Lydia nuzzles into her hair “Just focus on my voice okay? Whatever your seeing, it's not real, you're not there, you're here with me and you're safe”  
Allison feels her tears falling harder as she whimpers against Lydia  
“I'm not going anywhere, I’m right here Allison, I’m here”  
“Please don't let me go” Allison whispers “Don't let me go” She doesn't mean to say it, but these days, Allison is finding herself doing a lot of things she doesn't mean to do. Lydia presses her lips against Allison's temple and she swears, it's like a bullet to the brain. Everything just stops, her shaking hands freeze, her mind falls blank  
“I'm not going to let you go” Lydia whispers and it sounds like a promise **  
  
  
  
  
**Derek finds that it's hard to sleep with Stiles firing arrow after arrow into a tree, it doesn't help that every time he does it, the boy makes a sound of legitimate agony  
“Stiles” Derek snaps, grabbing Allison's bow and yanking it from his hands “You need to _stop_ ”  
“I can't” Stiles growls  
“You need to sleep”  
“How can I?” Stiles tries to make himself look bigger, Derek would find it amusing if he wasn't worried for the boys mental state “How can I sleep when there are people out there trying to kill the people I love?”  
“You haven't got a choice, if you don't sleep, you'll die”  
“Like it matter” Stiles sighs, shoulders sagging suddenly “Allison hates me, I’ve never been good enough and I never will be”  
“That's your dad talking, not you”  
“He's right though, isn't he?”  
“No” Derek replies easily  
“Derek” Stiles looks at him helplessly “What happens if she has to choose between me and Lydia? Because I want to say she would choose me... But I’m not so sure any more”  
Derek finds himself caught off guard by the boys words, unable to form a reply  
“Yeah, that's what I thought” Stiles moves past him

 **  
  
**Allison can feel herself moving fitfully as she tries to pull herself from nightmare after nightmare. No two dream was the same, one would force her to relieve her torture while the next had Kate or Chris whispering the words that haunted her childhood  
Some even featured Stiles with his dark eyes  
She wakes up crying and is vaguely aware of the neon numbers telling her it was at least two in the morning when she feels Lydia pull her against her, body soft and warm and inviting and Allison can feel her fears slipping away as Lydia rocks her gently, a hand moving into her hair as she whispered various words into her ears, through her daze Allison finds herself picking up on the familiars. The 'I’ve got you' and 'you're not alone'  
She feels her eyelids grow heavy and sleep begin to take over she feels herself relax  
She feels her lips moving but she can't hear what she says  
She hopes it was something nice  
Lydia deserves to hear reassuring words too  
  
  
  
 **  
**Scott gave up on trying to sleep  
His mother had returned two hours after leaving and fallen asleep thirty five minutes later  
Scott dragged his blanket out onto the rooftop and watched the stars  
Everything is so fucked up  
But he has to hope, he has to hope that things will get better  
That Stiles is okay, that Lydia and Allison are okay  
That they'll all be okay  
He repeats the words over in his head all night  
As he watches the sun begin to peak over the horizon he feels a spark of hope  
A new day **  
  
  
  
**Lydia wasn't sure how long she slept, but she had, albeit lightly, ears attuned to every sound Allison made  
Allison had slept soundly after that one incident, the moment was going to be forever ingrained into her memory. How when she had pulled Allison against her it had felt like a key sliding into place, a jigsaw coming together. Allison slotted against her body perfectly and as soon as Lydia's hand found it's place in her hair she had felt Allison _melt_ into her  
How amongst all of the nonsense Lydia had been whispering Allison had found her own voice and a clearly as one could expect from a girl half asleep as she tried to pull herself from a plethora of nightmares had said;  
'I love you too'  
Lydia was never going to let herself forget that.  
She had been awake since the sun had began to break through the window, letting herself lean against her headboard and bask in the light. Mentally preparing herself for the day ahead, beside her, Allison shifter and Lydia watched expectantly. A moment later Allison's eyes fluttered open, blinking the sleep away before focusing on Lydia, her eyes shine gold in the morning light, Lydia can only stare back, feeling her wolf stir with fondness. A smile tugs on the corners of Allison's lips and Lydia knows deep in her heart that she would be happy to wake up to this sight every day for as long as she lived  
"What?" Allison asked  
"You're beautiful" Lydia replied, the words falling from her lips as though they were the easiest word to speak, and in a way they were. Allison was gorgeous and Lydia was going to make sure the girl knew that.  
Allison blushes and sits up, turning away from the sun   
“How are you feeling?” Lydia asks  
“Better” Allison hugs her knees “I think I need to apologise to Stiles”   
Lydia offers a reassuring smile and pulls Allison into a one armed hug “It'll be okay”  
Allison hums non-committally as she does Lydia picks up on footsteps moving down her path  
“Lyds?” Allison asks as she climbs from the bed and moves to the window  
“Oh shit” Lydia frowns as she sees the car parked outside  
“What? Lydia, what is it? What's wrong?”  
Lydia turns to Allison's panic stricken face and runs a hand over her sleep mussed hair  
“The Sheriff's here”

 


	9. But I'd be yours if you'd be mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Allison...” Lydia sighed “Do you trust me?”  
> Allison nodded “With my life”  
> Lydia shifted her hand to push Allison's hair behind her ear before bringing her thumb to wipe the tear from Allison's face  
> “Can I try something?” Lydia asked quietly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Badly beta'd by myself, apologies for the horrific mistakes  
> Chapter title from "Lovers of the light" by Mumford & sons

Lydia knew how to act, she could put on a mask and lie. Lying _had_ become considerably harder since her welcome into the world of werewolves, but she wasn't sat in front of wolves right now.  
No, she was sat in front of the sheriff and her mother while Allison tries to stay calm upstairs, if the way Allison's heart is pounding is anything to go by, then she's doing a remarkable job  
"Why are you here sheriff?" Lydia asked, she makes sure that she keeps her voice light, she knows why he's here, she had listened to the sheriff talk to her mother while Lydia called Scott, keeping one hand in Allison's hair and holding her close.  
The sheriff sat forward slightly and Lydia tried not to focus on the way her mother was lingering in the doorway  
"Have you seen Allison Argent in the last four days?" He asked  
"Is everything okay?" Lydia replied with a question of her own  
The sheriff held her gaze for a few seconds before his body relaxed, he turned in his seat until he was facing her mother "Ms Martin, could you give us a few minutes alone please?"  
Her mothers heartbeat spiked slightly and she cast a worried glance towards Lydia  
"It's fine mom" Lydia said before the woman could protest  
Her mother hesitated for a few seconds longer before giving a slight nod "I'll be down the hall, I need to make a phone call anyway"  
Lydia watched her walk away, she could feel the sheriff's eyes on her the entire time  
"Allison was last seen at school on Friday, herself and Stiles were pulled out of class early"  
Lydia thought back to that day, remembered the conversation the twins had had between the teacher  
"Yeah, yeah, something about their grandfather being sick" Lydia replied  
The sheriff nodded "that's right, Allison hasn't been seen since"  
"Have you spoken to her father?" Lydia asked, it wasn't the way she wanted to steer the conversation, but there was nothing she could say that wouldn't make her seem guilty in some way, not with what Scott has already told the Sheriff, the most Lydia could hope to do is direct the heat away from them and avoid a serious investigation while the hunters were around. Allison and Stiles were right, if they were to bring anybody else into their problems, someone was going to get killed.   
The sheriff nodded “I have”   
Lydia nodded, she knew what Scott had told the Sheriff and his mother, she just had to make her side of the story line up “Then you'll know she and Stiles had a fight with their grandfather”  
“I do know that, I don't understand why Allison ran away though, why Stiles chose to stay behind until last night”  
“It seems like he missed his sister” Lydia replied, she focused briefly on Allison upstairs, could hear her pacing the room “So he wanted to go to see her”  
“Is that a fact?”   
“I don't know Sir, I only woke up an hour ago”  
The Sheriff sighed heavily and pulled his notepad from his pocket and flicked through a few pages. Lydia frowned as she watched his eyes move along the page  
“Have you ever seen Allison act violent?”  
“No, never” Lydia shook her head, she let her frown stay in place because what the _fuck?_ Like sure, Allison had shot Scott and Derek that one time, she'd attacked the hunter and punched Stiles in the face, but the Sheriff didn't need to know any of that- they were all perfectly justified reactions anyway   
“And this is the first time she's ran away?”  
“To my knowledge” Lydia replied, her eyes flickering down to the notepad. She needed to know what Chris had said  
“Lydia, Stiles came to the station on Monday. He didn't seem himself”  
“Oh?”  
“Is everything okay with the twins Lydia? What aren't you telling me?” The Sheriff asked, his voice took on a slightly more pleading tone “If something happened that made Allison run and you know what it is, now would be the best time to tell me....” he hesitated for a moment before he spoke up again “Mrs McCall is worried about her”  
“Has Chris filed a missing person report?” Lydia asked  
“Well, no-”  
"He's her father, if he were worried he would have filled a report. If Stiles were worried he would have said something, we all would. I- _we_ all love Allison"  
"Is that why you're protecting her?" The sheriff asked "she isn't in trouble, Lydia, we're just worried"  
Lydia wanted to laugh, people just didn't understand "she's okay, she's safe"  
"You know where she is, don't you?"  
"I know that you don't have to worry, sheriff"  
"Lydia, would it be okay if I took a look around your house?"  
Lydia did laugh at that, something short and incredulous, she had been anticipating this, Allison is her best friend, if she were to run away, of _course_ the sheriff would suspect her to be hiding here  
"You think she's here?" Lydia asked, she needed to buy some time, Lydia knew that she was within her rights to nodded, the sheriff didn't have a warrant, but if that didn't make her look guilty, nothing else would. Besides, Lydia was only buying time. She could hear Boyd's car turn into her street, she just needed a few more minutes "I mean of course you can look, feel free, just don't judge me based on the mess in my room"  
The sheriff laughed "I wouldn't worry about that Lydia, I saw Scott McCall's room"  
Lydia pushed herself to her feet and repressed a smile, Scott's room wasn't that bad but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless. She could hear Erica's heartbeat move closer to the house, circling around the house  
"Do you only want to see my room? Or so you want the grand tour?" Lydia asked, turning to the sheriff, who followed suit and got to his feet, slipping his notepad into his breast pocket  
"Just your room if that's okay?"  
Lydia nodded, she gestured for the sheriff to follow as she slowly made her way towards the stairs, she heard her window being opened, Erica and Allison talking in hushed whispers, moving to the window. There was only so much Lydia's could do to slow down the journey to the room. They reach the top of the stairs just as she hears her window side shut and Lydia's breathed a sigh of relief, she just hoped Allison had moved her clothes out of sight

 

"Never a dull moment with you is there Argent?" Erica remarked as they piled into Boyd's car, Erica taking up residence in the front seat. Allison slides into the back seat, drawing her knees up to her chin and pulling the cuffs of Lydia's hoodie down over her hands  
"Will we be okay here?" Allison asked  
"The sheriff is parked at the other end of the street, he won't come down this way" Boyd replied, meeting Allison's gaze in the rear view mirror  
"If he does, just lie down" Erica grinned  
"Because that'll fix it" Boyd muttered  
"I'm not one for big plans Boyd, it's fucking early-"  
"I'm sorry" Allison whispered, stopping the pair in their tracks. She reached up and pulled the hood up into her head  
"For what?" Erica asked  
"Dragging you out here this early to come and rescue me" Allison replies, she feels so useless right now, so weak. She feels completely helpless "I'm sorry"  
"Argent, relax okay?" Erica turned in her seat "it's okay, I just wished that the sheriff wouldn't show up at the crack of dawn to interrogate your girlfriend"  
Allison lifted her head at that "She's... She's not my girlfriend"  
"But you want her to be" Erica replied and it's probably only the second time Allison has ever heard the blonde sound serious. Allison responded with a small nod and dropped her face down and rubbed her cheek against the soft material of the hoodie  
“I'm in love with her”  
“Then why not tell her?” Boyd asked   
“I've _tried_ ” Allison replied “But every time I do...” She clenched her eyes shut as images of the night she was taken fill her mind. Allison spends a minute focusing on keeping her breathing even while she feels Boyd and Erica watching her carefully. Allison felt tears forming and blew out a shaky breath and opened her eyes “Every time I try to talk to her something happens... Somebody interrupts, I have a panic attack.... Or... I get kidnapped”  
Erica made a sound in the back of her throat “That's where you were going that night, to tell her you loved her”   
Allison nodded again, wiping at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve “Yeah”  
“You need to tell her Argent”  
Allison shook her head and hid her face in her arms, curling into the corner of the seat “She doesn't want me, I’m broken and a mess and my family want to kill her and-” Allison broke off, shaking her head more  
“Allison, she loves you” Erica says. Allison can't bring herself to look, Erica being nice to her is a surreal enough experience as it is, but she can feel her own heart hammering in her chest, hearing someone telling her that Lydia loves her? It's unheard of “I know you've seen the way she looks at you, she doesn't care about your family or your past or anything like that”   
Allison lifted her head slightly and met Erica's eyes   
“Look, Allison. Lydia will leave in a few minutes and she'll hear all of this so I'm going to make it quick. You need to talk to her, tell her you love her, she loves you back. Kiss her. We could be dead in a week and watching the two of you act so... coupley and angsty, it's irritating. Just kiss already”   
Allison gave a watery laugh and wiped at her eyes “I knew you couldn't keep up the nice act”  
“Honey, this _is_ me being nice” Erica waved a hand. A smirk crossed her face as she looked past Allison through the window, Boyd turned the key in the ignition. A few moments later the door opened and Lydia slid into the seat beside her, breathing out a long breath and pushing a loose curl out of the way"Everything okay?" Boyd asked  
Lydia opened her eyes and made a non committal sound "I tried to get him to back off completely but I think all I did was make Chris seem more suspicious" Lydia turned to face Allison, looking her up and down "are you okay?"  
Allison nodded, though Lydia didn't look convinced and reached over and moved her thumb along Allison's cheekbone, wiping away a stray tea  
r"What's wrong?"  
Allison reached up and curled her fingers loosely around Lydia's wrist and lowered their hands "later?" Allison asked  
Lydia stared at Allison for a moment before looking down at their hands. She shifted her hand until their fingers were threaded together and squeezed gently  
"Later"  
"Where are we heading Martin?" Erica asked  
"Derek's" Lydia replied, eyes finding Allison's once more "we need to figure out our plan"  
Boyd pulled away from the side walk and Allison felt Lydia pull slightly on her hand and Allison let Lydia pull her until Allison was curled into her side, arm wrapped around her shoulder and holding her close. Allison tucked her head into Lydia's neck as Erica turned the radio on

 

Scott reached the Hale house just as Lydia and Allison were climbing out of Boyd's car, Lydia turned to him immediately and Scott hastily clambered off of his bike  
"How did it go?" He asked as he reached the pair "is everything okay?" He turned to Allison "Are you okay?"  
Allison nodded slightly  
"Let's get inside" Lydia replied "we can fill everyone in"  
Scott glanced up at the house and let out a shuddery breath "yeah, we have to make it quick, I can't miss school, mom will know"  
Lydia nodded as they turned to the house, Scott fell into place beside her as they walked  
"Did you speak to Stiles last night?" Lydia asked quietly, Scott heard Allison's heart pick up  
"No" Scott sighed "I assume he stayed here, I told my mom he was staying at Boyd's" Scott passed a hand through his hair, everything was such a mess. He was just glad Lydia was here, if anyone could figure this out, it was her. Scott glanced past Lydia at Allison  
Now if only he knew how to approach hi the bigger issue

 

Lydia felt Allison go rigid as soon as they walk into the burnt out remains of the living room. Lydia tightened her grip around Allison's hand as her eyes caught sight of Stiles' and God, he looked a mess. His clothes seemed crumpled, every knuckle on each of his hands were split open and the bags under his eyes made him seem so much more intimidating. He didn't look at her until she felt Allison press into her side. Stiles meets her gaze and holds it for a few moments, Lydia lifted her chin slightly and swiped her thumb over Allison's hand. Stiles broke eye first contact, eyes following Scott as he moved further into the room. Lydia noticed Isaac off to the side speaking with Erica and keeping a good distance from everyone else, good to know he's aware of how badly he fucked up yesterday  
"Lydia" Derek called. Lydia turned to face the alpha and frowned at the unreadable expression on his face, her confusion grew even more as his shoulders tensed as he made himself seem bigger  
"Derek" Lydia greeted  
"What did the sheriff say?" He asked, turning away slightly and glancing at Allison  
"He knows we're hiding something" Lydia replied "but it seems that as far as he's concerned Allison just skipped town because of a fight with Gerard and Chris" she squeezes Allison's hand once more before dropping it and folding her arms over her chest "he's suspicious of Chris"  
"Why?" Isaac asked  
"Because she didn't take her car" Scott spoke up "if not for the missing clothes the sheriff would have probably been more forceful and concerned" Lydia, like the rest of the inhabitants of the room all watched Scott carefully "What? I heard him taking with my mom" he added with a shrug  
"But he knows we're lying, he knows we're hiding something" Lydia replied, she focused on Scott "do you know what Chris told him? He wouldn't give me anything other than Allison had a fight with Gerard and Chris"  
"Pft, understatement" Erica muttered, Allison made a sound of agreement and took a small step closer to Lydia  
"He didn't say anything specific" Scott shook his head. He hesitated for a moment before he lifted his head, Lydia could see something there, like Scott was putting the pieces of a puzzle together "he asked my mom if anything like this has happened before, if the twins have a history of running away"  
"What did she say?" Derek asked  
"That after their mom died they spent a lot more time over with us" Scott frowned slightly  
"He's looking for me now isn't he?" Stiles asked, pushing away from the wall  
"Yeah" Lydia replied, Scott nodded along with her "The fact that you went to the station the other day demanding to see the report doesn't help the situation"  
"And the fact that your twin sister is 'missing' and nobody has mentioned it" Erica added  
“Thank you Erica” Stiles replied “So what? Is he going to come asking questions?”  
“Probably” Lydia sighed “I implied that you had gone to wherever Allison is hiding, so that should _maybe_ buy us a day or two”   
“Okay but what do we do when the Sheriff starts asking more questions?” Boyd asked “First Allison goes 'missing' and now Stiles? And … Well, Chris never filed a missing persons report and two of his kids go missing a few months after their aunts body is found in this very house-” Allison makes a quiet sound of protest and Boyd flashes her an apologetic look “And I hate to add this but your moms suicide-”  
“She didn't commit suicide” Stiles growls   
“But according to the official report, she did” Boyd replied, he didn't turn to look at Stiles, instead keeping his eyes more firmly locked on Lydia and Allison “When you add that all together...”  
“It looks suspicious” Allison whispered  
“It makes it look like the murder house is what it does” Erica replied, folding her arms across her chest   
“Okay, so we have a day to figure out our game plan, what happens after that? Does Allison emerge from the woods and reassure everyone she's okay and not buried in a shallow grave somewhere?”  
“I... I guess I’ll have to go back home” Allison muttered  
“No!” Lydia turned to Allison “Okay, no, not happening. You're not going back there” She looked over at Stiles “Neither of you are, okay?”   
“What if we don't have a choice Lyds?” Allison asked “Mrs McCall is already involved, now the Sheriff is involved too and I- _We_ can't let them get hurt because of us” Allison says, her voice cracks as she looks at Stiles “We can't let them get hurt because of us”  
"They'll kill you if you go back" Derek said, walking closer  
"They won't lay a hand on her" Stiles spoke up "I'll kill them before they do"  
"It's not just me though Stiles!" Allison snapped, addressing her brother for the first time since they'd arrived "it's you too, it's Lydia and Scott and Derek and Erica, Boyd and Isaac!" Allison's voice shook as she spoke "it's Mrs McCall and the sheriff. More and more people we care about are being dragged into our shit and I can't let them get hurt because of me, because of _us_ " Allison dropped her head to take a shaky breath "if we don't go back, they might start hurting the people we love-"  
"We know Allison, we're okay with that" Lydia held a hand out to rest on Allison's shoulder and doesn't bother to hide her relief at Allison staying put, a part of Lydia expected the girl to break away  
Allison shook her head slowly "but I'm not, I'm not okay with you getting hurt to protect me," she glances around at the other wolves "any of you"  
"Sorry to say Argent, but we aren't about to hand you two over to your father so you can endure round two" Erica replied "I actually like you both when you're not being all...." Erica gestured vaguely at Allison and Stiles respectively "Depressing" she finishes with a small frown  
"I agree" Boyd nodded "Everybody in this room know the risks, I think we should keep you both away from that house, if they target us... Then we deal with it" he shrugged, looking between Derek and Lydia  
Derek shared a glance with Lydia "he's right"  
Lydia squeezed Allison's shoulder "okay? I know you worry about us getting hurt, you always worry about everyone other than yourself, it's one of the things I love about you. But we aren't going to let you both get hurt okay?"  
Allison wiped under her eyes quickly "but what about Mrs McCall and the sheriff?" She asked  
"The sheriff is safe" Derek replied  
"And mom is at work until I get home, she'll be okay" Scott smiled encouragingly, Lydia could still sense the hesitation in his voice however, she can't blame him. Scott has so much on his shoulders right now “And I really hate to say this but I'm going to be late for school and if I miss class again mom will lead the search for the twins herself”   
Allison did laugh at that, briefly   
“Go” Lydia nodded at the boy, “are you three going too?” she asked Boyd, Erica and Isaac  
“Don't you need us here?” Isaac asked  
“We have the twins, you four need to stick together” Derek replied, his betas nodded “Keep us informed okay?”   
“You got it Der” Erica saluted Derek and made her way towards them, Boyd and Isaac following closely, she stopped in front of Allison “Remember what we talked about?”  
Allison tensed for a moment before she nodded. Erica tilted her head in Lydia's direction “We'll come by after school”  
“Keep him out of trouble” Lydia replied as she glanced pointedly at Isaac “I don't want a repeat of yesterday”   
Isaac huffed and followed Boyd from the room   
“Call me if you need anything” Scott says to Stiles, who doesn't so much as bother to reply, he does offer a nod though, so that's something. Lydia isn't sure how they're going to get through the day in the same house, it's a good thing Derek is going to be here too. Lydia focuses back on Allison, on Scott repeating the same words to her, he pulls her into a hug and holds on a little tighter, she frowns when he pulls away. There's a look of sadness in his eyes, a look of knowing in his eyes that hadn't been there yesterday  
“I'll stop by after school, mom wants me back pretty soon” he says to Lydia  
“Stick close to Erica and the others, if you so much as smell wolfs bane call me”  
Scott smiled “You're the boss” he glanced over in Stiles' direction one last time  
“He'll be okay” Lydia said, desperately wanting to comfort the boy  
“We'll all be okay” Scott replied and Lydia had to smile as he walked away, at least he still had some optimism  
“I'm going to get some sleep” Stiles announces as soon as they find themselves alone, he grabs his jacket from the back of the sofa and walks from the room, Lydia hears the door to his Jeep open and slam shut a moment later. Beside her, Allison lets out a breath and Lydia feels Allison press her side into Lydia, a simple request for comfort that Lydia is only too happy to provide. Lydia twists so she can get her arm securely around Allison's waist and looking to Derek   
“So, what is there to do around here?” 

  
  
“What happens tonight?” Allison asked, tilting her head so she could see Lydia. They were both sat against the wall, Lydia pressed up close to her, her body heat doing a spectacular job of keeping Allison warm. Across from them, Derek stopped moving, still holding the charred wood in his hands  
“What do you mean?” Lydia asked, lowering her kindle and focusing all of her attention on Allison  
Allison picked at a loose thread on the bottom of her hoodie until one of Lydia's hands steadied it with her own  
“Stiles can't stay out here again, Mrs McCall is going to be on guard-”  
“Then you both stay with me” Lydia cut Allison off  
“After today your mom will be suspicious” Allison shook her head “It'll be too risky”  
“We could get you both a motel room” Derek suggested  
“The Sheriff probably already has eyes on it, if anybody sees one of us there it'll be game over” Allison sighed  
“There's always the vets?” Lydia spoke up, Allison fixated on the way she was playing with her hand, fingers tracing light patterns into the palm “Deaton won't mind, it's warmer and actually has a lock, we could stop off at my place first, shower, grab some blankets and hole up there”  
“That's a good idea” Allison agreed “...But you should stay at home”  
“What? Why?” Lydia asked and It was impossible for Allison to ignore the hurt in the girls voice  
“With everything that's going on right now, if you're not at home, your mom is going to be suspicious”  
“I don't care!” Lydia replied, Allison felt a hand on her cheek and before she could react, Lydia was turning her had so they were face to face “I'm not going to leave you alone Allison”  
“Lydia, you're already missing school again-”  
“Fuck school” Lydia said, her gaze unwavering “Grades can be made up, they're replaceable. _You_ however, are not. I know you're trying to protect me Allison, you're trying to protect everyone and I love that about you but I can't risk you again okay? I just can't” Lydia's voice shook slightly as she spoke and Allison reached up to cover the hand on her cheek with her own  
“I just.. I hate feeling so weak” Allison replied, dropping her head slightly as to avoid Lydia's eyes  
“You're not weak Allison” Lydia whispered “You've been through so much”  
Allison shook her head “I should be able to help, I should be able to fight but... I can't even hold a bow” she dropped her forehead against Lydia's shoulder and focused on the way Lydia's thumb was stroking her cheek  
“You should try” Derek said “Your bow Is here, Stiles brought it with him yesterday”  
“I should talk to him...” Allison muttered, trying to push back her anxiety over her brother, he needed her, they had to be there for one another. She couldn't let her fears get the better of her “How was he last night?” She asked, turning her head towards Derek, Lydia's hand fell from her face  
“He spent almost the entire night shooting bolts and arrows into trees and then he punched the trees until he split every knuckle open” Derek frowned, Allison felt a fresh wave of guilt. “We talked about Kate” Derek continued and for a moment Allison forgot how to breathe, she felt Lydia's hand move to the back of her neck and relaxed slightly. Allison still clenched her hands tight, she could already feel the shakes starting “I think you're right, you need to talk to him”  
“What else did he say?” Allison asked hesitantly  
“It's not my place to say” Derek replied, “But I know that he feels alone right now”  
Allison nodded slowly and ran a hand through her hair “I'll go talk to him”

 

“So you have another detention today?” Erica asked, looking to Isaac “What did you do this time?”  
Isaac shrugged “More like what I didn't do. I forgot homework again, and it's not exactly like I could say your psycho friends family are hunting me down” Isaac replied, folding his arms in Scott's direction  
“Isaac, will you stop? God, you're pissing me off with your anti Argent agenda” Erica snapped. Isaac rolled his eyes but didn't comment as they moved down the hall, Scott forced himself to not look over at the boy as they walked  
“It's probably for the best you have a detention” Boyd replied “The less time you spend around Lydia or Stiles the better, she'll tear your throat out if you keep talking about the twins like that”  
“Speaking of Martin, she was very... In command today don't you think?” Erica asked  
"It's Lydia Martin" Scott shrugged "she takes charge of the situation"  
"She did seem more in control today" Boyd agreed, they slowed in their walk as their classroom came into view  
"It's because of Allison," Erica replied, Scott falters in his steps, more focused on the blonde than where they were walking "when Allison is concerned, Lydia is unrelenting, she'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe"  
"Allison is her anchor" Isaac declared suddenly, eyes widening in realisation "isn't she?" He asks suddenly, turning to Scott, Boyd and Erica followed suit, staring at Scott  
"I, I don't know" Scott replied "she never told me"  
"Well either way, Lydia is such a wannabe alpha, she leads your little pack" Erica shrugged "she even has Derek under her thumb"  
"He's just trying to protect Allison" Boyd replied "We all are"  
"And Stiles" Scott spoke up, they couldn't forget about Stiles, he mattered too, he may not have the physical scars like Allison but he had endured so much  
"Yes, we're all protecting the twins with the abusive past" Isaac rolled his eyes and stepped into the class  
"Ignore him" Erica muttered, casting an apologetic look towards Scott "It's what I’m trying to do"

 

Stiles shoots upright when the passenger door of the Jeep slams shut, throwing his jacket off of himself when he watches Allison settle into the passenger seat, her eyes focused forward  
"G'morning" Stiles greets, clearing his throat and rubbing a hand at the back of his neck, easing out the steady ache building there  
"Hey" Allison replies  
Stiles shifts so he's sat more comfortably "so, what's the occasion?"  
"I wanted to see how you are"  
Stiles laughed "oh I'm fantastic"  
Allison sighed, her head dropping " _Stiles_ "  
"You won't even look at me!" Stiles snapped, Allison's shoulders tensed at his words "my own sister won't look at me"  
Allison was quiet for a long minute and all Stiles could do was stare at the back of her head as she hung her head  
"You don't think I'm trying, Stiles?" Allison asked quietly "I love you Stiles, you're my brother. But you're _scaring_ me" and Stiles felt his heart break as Allison's voice cracked. Allison sniffed "you look like you did back then... But now you're holding guns and threatening murder on human beings-"  
"They aren't human Allison" Stiles climbed into the drivers seat, one hand braced on the back of Allison's seat, he glances up at the house, wondering if the two wolves inside could hear them "they gave up their humanity when they justified what they've done to us, to you"  
"I agree, they're monsters and they deserve to suffer, but I don't want you to kill them, I don't want you to-"  
"Become a monster?"  
"…. Yeah"  
"I'm already a monster, Allison"  
"No you're not!" Allison turned to Stiles, eyes wide and red around the edges, "no you're not" she repeated, quieter this time "you're not a monster, monsters don't show remorse, you do"  
Stiles moved his hands into his lap "I shouldn't have done it"  
Allison reached over and took his hand into her own, he could feel the tremors in her hand "there was nothing you could have done, we were only kids"  
Stiles' phone chimed as he sighed "I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to be protecting you"  
Allison laughed quietly "We're twins"  
"I'm still ten minutes older" Stiles replied, smiling when he saw Allison's lips curl into a small smile, they both sighed in unison  
"We need to talk about it soon Stiles, they're only going to find out some other way"  
"I know..." Stiles ran a hand over his hair  
"And I'm trying, I'm really trying. I know you aren't going to hurt me, I just..." Allison hesitated for a moment, she closed her eyes for a beat "After what Gerard did to me... It's just resurfacing all of my memories... It's hard Stiles but I'm trying"  
"I love you Allison" Stiles muttered, finding nothing else to say  
"I love you too, Stiles"  
Stiles squeezed Allison's hand once more, frowning when he heard Allison's phone beep with a message. They share a look as Stiles remembers his own phone receiving a message, they let go of each others hands to reach into their pockets and digging out their phones. Stiles frowns when he sees Allison's name light the screen and glances across at his sister and not missing the frown on her face. He turns back and opens the message, feeling his blood run cold at the words on the screen

 

_From: Allison  
_ _How do you expect anybody to look at you after what you've done?_

  


"Allison?" Stiles turned to her, hearing a small whine from the girl, he sees her bottom lip tremble as she stares at her own phone "Why would you-"  
"It's not me" Allison whispered "that's not my phone" she shook her head, Stiles reads over the message again, of course, she only has the phone that Lydia had brought her  
"I didn't send it, I-" she broke off again, still staring at her phone  
"Allison, what does it say?" Stiles asked, when Allison didn't respond he reached over and easily pried the phone from her hands, Allison's hands balled into fists and she took a sharp breath  
Stiles stared down at her phone and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder as he read over the message

 

_From: Other phone_

_People are going to keep getting hurt, how many have to die before you give up?_

 

"We need to find whoever has that phone" Stiles muttered, closing the message and handing the phone back to Allison  
"We can't let anybody die, they can't die"  
"Nobody is going to die Allison"  
Allison ran a hand through her hair and turned her head in Stiles' direction, not quite meeting his eyes but it's an improvement from yesterday, so Stiles knows he's not really in a place to protest, his jaw still ached from the punch.  
"I'll give myself up before anyone can get hurt"  
Stiles sighed, Allison had such a hero complex, Stiles wasn't even sure where she got it from, there were no heroes in their family  
"Lydia won't let you do that" Stiles replied "Shit, _I_ won't let you do that, they signed up for this, they know the risks"  
"But Melissa doesn't" Allison whispered  
Stiles nodded, of course, he should've known Melissa would be her biggest concern, the sheriff is a whole other ball park, he signed up for a life like this- maybe not the werewolf side of things, but few people really sign up for that, it's really more of something you're either forced into or born into.   
Allison is protective of people, she's protective of Melissa, shit, so is Stiles, she's been such an important part in their life. Stiles understands completely why Allison wants to keep Melissa safe  
"If it comes to it, if Melissa is in danger, we'll do what we have to in order to keep her safe”  
“Thank you, Stiles”  
Stiles hummed “Come on, we should see if Lydia got a text too”  
Allison faced him fully, eyes panic stricken, before she fumbled with the handle of the door

  
  
Lydia would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate Derek's current role in her life, he was level headed where she was not, he was knowledgeable in werewolves, he seemed to genuinely care about the twins, he had protected Allison yesterday and he had just caught her cellphone, which she may or may not have thrown in a moment of rage.  
Derek stared at the phone in his grip and handed it back to Lydia as she walked past him, heading for the door  
“Lydia, what's wrong?” Derek asked  
Lydia paused, she could see Allison and Stiles climbing from the Jeep and making their way towards the house, both wearing an expression similar to how she's currently feeling. Lydia looked down at the message still on her screen  
  
 _From: Allison  
Do you really think that she'll love you back? She won't even tell you the truth about her back  
  
_ Lydia slipped her phone back into her pocket and glanced back at Derek  
“We need to find whoever has Allison's phone.” She replied “I want to have words with them”  
“Words?” Derek repeated. Lydia looked away just as Allison and Stiles' heartbeats came into her range of hearing, she zoned into Allison's immediately and tried not to let the words of the message get to her. The message was wrong, Allison was trying to tell her, she really was. They just keep getting interrupted, Allison is _trying_. Lydia just needs to focus on that  
“Okay, forget I said words. I want to break their fingers” Or tear them off, both worked pretty well  
“Lydia,” Allison gasped out, coming to a sliding halt in front of her, her eyes scanned over Lydia briefly “I didn't send-”  
Lydia grabbed Allison's hands “I know” she replied, cutting Allison off “I know you didn't”  
“So you got one too?” Stiles asked, Lydia looked past Allison at the boy, noting how much calmer he seemed from their last interaction, Allison sitting down with him for a real talk seemed to have done them both a world of good  
“Yeah” Lydia nodded  
“What did it say?” He inquired  
“What did yours say?” Lydia shot back  
Stiles held his hands up in surrender “I'm gonna call Scott, see if he got one”  
“Tell him-”  
“It wasn't you, I know, I'll tell him” Stiles replied, pulling out his own phone  
“And tell him to take Allison's name away from that number” Lydia added as she focused back on Allison “We'll all do that, it's not your phone any more” Allison nodded slowly and let Lydia pull her closer “Did you get one?”  
“Yeah”  
“And?”  
“'How many of them will die before you give up?'”  
“That's what it said?” Lydia asked  
Allison sniffed “Yeah”  
“The only people who will die are the people who try to hurt you, Allison” Lydia said, Allison didn't reply. Instead, she moved closer into Lydia's space, hands slipping out of Lydia's to wrap around her waist and hug her  
“I don't know what it said” Allison muttered into Lydia's hair “but it's not true”  
“I believe you” Lydia replied  
“Scott got a text too” Stiles said as he returned to the room   
“What did it say?” Derek asked   
“He wouldn't say, he was pretty shaken though” Stiles frowned at his phone “Whoever sent them personalised the messages so they would fit each of us”  
“What makes you say that?” Lydia raised an eyebrow  
“Because nobody else is saying what their message said” Allison replied, Lydia felt herself tense at the girls words  
“You said what yours was” Derek pointed out  
“You're all aware that I’m more concerned about the people being dragged into this than I am about myself” Allison pulled away from Lydia and she fought against the urge to reach for Allison's hand   
“So what's the point of the texts?” Derek folded his arms and leant back against the wall  
“They're antagonising us, putting doubt into our minds” Stiles began to pace slowly and it's almost like how Stiles behaved before Allison got taken, it was a huge relief to Lydia, this Stiles wasn't as intimidating, she could tell Allison felt the same way too.  
“Gerard's getting impatient” Derek said  
“I.... Think it's more than that” Allison replied, she looked around and scratched the back of her neck when she was met with confused expressions “Well, they want all of the wolves dead.. I think it's safe to say they want me and Stiles dead too”  
“Or as close as possible” Stiles shrugged  
“Exactly” Allison pointed a finger in Stiles' direction “Gerard wanted to turn Beacon Hills into his hunting ground but I think there's one thing he didn't take into consideration”  
“And what was that?” Derek asked  
“A protective and loving motherly figure” Allison replied with a shrug  
“What?” Lydia frowned as Stiles made a sound of realisation  
“Melissa, she's been worried about Allison ever since we went to that house, she's the one who raised the alarm to the sheriff, she's brought all this attention down onto us all, what with you and Scott being so close to us”  
“And by extension Derek and his betas” Allison added  
“I still don't follow” Derek frowned  
“Gerard wants to kill you all, it's going to be hard to kill seven teenagers and one adult and dispose of the bodies” Allison explained  
“And if they kill us, it's just going to draw more questions” Stiles chimed in  
“Oh!” Lydia clicked her fingers as the twins words finally sank in, Allison turned to her expectantly “So now they're trying to draw you out of hiding?”  
“Show that I’m alive, the sheriff will back off and they can go back to trying to kill us all” Allison replied  
Lydia felt her wolf stir, the urge to protect Allison coming back in full force, she reached out for Allison's hand and entwined their fingers together. Allison smiled at her and squeezed her hand lightly   
“Okay, so what do we do?” Derek asked  
Allison sighed and ran a hand through her hair, she looked over to Stiles   
“Think you're a better shot than me?”  
Stiles grinned “I'll get your bow”

 

Allison held an arrow in her hand and slid it into place, she grit her teeth and tried to line up her shot, Stiles had pinned some crudely drawn targets to the trees. A few weeks ago Allison would have landed a bullseye on every target, now, she could barely keep her grip around her bow  
"You can do this Allison" Lydia spoke up  
"Just breathe" Stiles added  
Allison drew the string back and took a long breath, lined up the shot, just as Allison's fingers let go of the arrow just as her her hands began to shake once more, sending the arrow way off mark.  
Dejected, Allison lowered her bow and stared at the arrow impaled into the dirt, she stared at it until she felt movement by her side, Stiles came to a stop at her shoulder. She felt her body tense of its own accord but soon relaxed after a few moments, she had built a fragile bridge between the two of them, it wouldn't take much to break it but Allison knew she couldn't let their past get to them, they needed to stick together. They'll find a good therapist when this is all over  
"Well, that was shit"  
Allison scoffed "thanks"  
She saw Stiles shrug from the corner of her eye "just calling it how I see it"  
"Well do you have a better suggestion?" Allison asked  
"Try the Mongolian draw" Lydia suggested  
"What?" Allison and Stiles said in sync, turning towards the girl. Lydia had been unsettlingly quiet for the last half an hour, she seemed deep in thought and Allison could only assume it was to do with the message she had received, much like Stiles, Lydia hadn't told her the context of the message. It only served to make Allison worry, leaving her to consider the content and why Lydia was reacting how she had. Even Stiles was reacting better  
Lydia smoothed out her blouse and stood up, walking over to them "the Mongolian draw, you know it right?"  
Allison glances at Stiles "Well yeah,I just-"  
"What?" Lydia raised an eyebrow "I read"  
Allison laughed fondly and ducked her head, Stiles stepped away as Lydia moved into her space, hands on her hips  
"Do you read books on archery often?" Stiles asked, Allison busied herself with fixing the arrow onto the right side of her bow, hooking her thumb around the string  
"Well, when your best friend has a hobby with such an in depth history, excuse me if I want to research into it"  
Allison dropped her head again, best friend. Maybe that's all they are, maybe Erica and everyone else is wrong, Lydia doesn't love her, not like that  
Allison jumped slightly when Lydia touched her elbow  
"You okay?" She asked  
Allison nodded and turned her attention to the target. Lydia stepped closer, fingers curling more firmly around her elbow, the other hand coming to place on Allison's hip, fingers pressing into the soft flesh  
"You can do this Allison" Lydia whispered "I know you can"  
"Hate to ruin the moment, but Allison's going to have trouble shooting with you holding her like that”  
“Oh, I’m sorry” Lydia replied and Allison could already feel her grip loosening on Allison's elbow  
“No, no, don't let go” Allison cut her off, almost dropping her bow in the process “Please Lydia. Don't let me go, it helps” she looked down at her hands   
“Okay” Lydia replied, Allison felt Lydia press her forehead into her hair, breath ghosting along her neck “I'm here, you can do this Allison”  
“Try turning the bow on it's side” Stiles spoke up   
“What?” Allison frowned, her hands may not be shaking as much any more but Lydia's breath against the back of her neck was incredibly distracting. Stiles smirked in the way that never failed to make Allison want to slap him around the back of his head  
“Turn the bow on it's side, maybe a new approach is what you need, if not, you can try with my crossbow”  
“You know I prefer my bow” Allison muttered, leaning back slightly into Lydia and turning her bow on it's side and aiming towards the target  
“Because you feel like you have more control, I know Robin Hood, I know”  
Allison rolled her eyes and drew the string back with her thumb, she spent a few moments lining up her shot and took a steadying breath, Lydia's grip on her hip tightened as she released the string.  
Allison tried not to let her disappointment show when she saw that the arrow impaled into the ground just shy of the tree, the target fluttering pathetically in the gentle breeze  
“That was great!” Stiles clapped his hands   
“It was shit” Allison replied  
“Well, okay it wasn't your _best_ but-”  
“I think what Stiles is trying to say is that it was a good shot, with everything that has happened” Derek spoke up for the first time in what felt like an hour   
“And now that you've got a technique down we can work on it” Lydia added  
“I can't even do this right” Allison sighed  
“Hey!” Lydia rubbed Allison's hip and Allison had to resist the urge to let her head fall back, a touch that simple should not feel that good “Don't say that, you can do this Allison “It'll just take a while”  
“Try again” Stiles said, he turned to Derek “Also when can we get lunch?”  
“He has a point” Lydia nodded “What do we plan on doing?”  
“I could drive into town and get food?” Derek suggested   
“Sounds good” Lydia replied   
“Yeah, you can take Stiles with you” Allison added  
“I can?”   
“He can?” Stiles frowned  
“We should always be partnered up with somebody and Derek doesn't have a phone” Allison shrugged. Stiles and Derek frowned at her and then turned to frown at each other   
“Are you sure that's a good idea Allison?” Lydia asked, Allison pulled herself away from Lydia and turned, catching one of Lydia's hands with her own  
“I am, you'll protect me, I’ll do my best to protect you and Derek and Stiles can protect each other” she looked at each of them in turn “please, just trust me on this okay?”  
“Okay” Derek nodded, he seemed to understand what she was trying to suggest, she just needed time to talk to Lydia, just half an hour alone, that was all she asked “There's a diner, fifteen minutes away, will that be okay?”  
“I know the place” Stiles nodded “They do great curly fries” he turned to Derek “We'll go after we finish up here?” he suggested, reaching for his crossbow  
“Finish up?” Derek frowned   
Stiles turned to Allison “Ready to try again?”  
Allison reached for another arrow “Ready when you are”

  
  
“What's going on?” Boyd asked, Scott slammed his phone down onto the desk. Scott looked up and met Boyd's concerned gaze  
Scott stared down at his phone “One of the hunters has Allison's phone, they sent out messages, stuff to play with our heads” he pushed a hand through his hair “That's... What Stiles says anyway, they're trying to play with our heads”  
Boyd nodded thoughtfully and Erica leant over her desk towards them, nudging Scott with her elbow  
“What did the message say?” she asked  
Scott lifted the phone and pulled up the message, following Stiles' order he had changed the name in his phone, it had helped considerably but it did nothing to ease the ache in his chest  
  
 _From: ???  
You think you can save the twins? They don't even trust you enough to tell you the truth about what happened to them  
  
_ Scott read over the message a few times, debating with himself. He hadn't even told Stiles what the message had said, he doesn't want to scare him away. Scott sighed and looked to Erica and then to Boyd, Isaac was in class on the other side of the building, not that It made a difference, Scott was still cautious around him because of the things the boy had said about Allison the day before. Scott would think of himself as a peaceful person, he tried to see the good in everyone but even he was about ready to let his claws out  
Scott closed his eyes and held the phone out for Erica, he felt her take the device from his hand  
“That asshole” Erica growled, a moment later Boyd sighed and Scott opened his eyes as the boy held the phone out to him  
“Do you know what they're talking about?” Boyd asked  
Scott set the phone down once more and pretended to write an answer onto his worksheet when the teacher looked their way  
“I think I do” Scott replied  
“They abused them, didn't they?” Erica growled  
“I think so... Yeah”  
“Those sick fucks” Erica snapped, slamming a palm down into the desk, earning a few looks from those around them  
“Don't say anything to anybody okay?” Scott asked “Especially Lydia and the twins”  
“Lydia doesn't know?” Boyd frowned  
Scott shook his head “No, but she has her suspicions, she doesn't buy the story about Allison's arm”  
“And you haven't spoken to the twins yet because...?”  
“I haven't had chance” Scott replied “I only kinda figured out last night and I didn't want to bring it up so late and after everything that happened yesterday and honestly I was trying to process it myself and-”  
Erica grabbed Scott by the shoulder, breaking him from his rant “Easy there McCall, how did you find out?”  
Scott sagged in his chair “I got worried and because of the things the twins said to each other I got suspicious so I went to Deaton cause he did this x-ray on Allison when we got her back from Gerard and Deaton had said that she had a lot of old injuries so I asked him to tell me how he thought Allison got them...”  
“And?” Boyd pressed  
“She has so many, broken collarbones, arm, shattered ribs, ankle...” Scott thought back to the x-ray Deaton had shown him “Every finger had been broken at least once. At _least_ ”  
“Shit” Erica breathed  
“Yeah” Scott sighed “And I never noticed”  
“Don't beat yourself up about it Scott” Boyd replied “They all probably went to great lengths to make sure nobody knew”  
Scott nodded but didn't reply, Erica gave his shoulder another pat before she pulled away  
“Do you plan on confronting them?” she asked  
“I.... I'm kinda hoping they'll make the first move”  
Erica hummed “We'll have to see”  
“Yeah” Scott sighed “Yeah we will”

 

“Do you know why I had to come with you?” Stiles asked, he had to hand it to Derek, he may live In a burnt out house, but his car was incredible. Stiles settled into the leather seats and hummed in content “Not that I mind” he added  
“I assume that Allison wanted a chance to talk to Lydia without risk of being interrupted” Derek replied, not taking his eyes off of the road  
“Talk? Talk about what?” Stiles frowned  
“They haven't had a real chance to talk today and I think Allison has something she needs to say”  
Stiles stared at the alpha until the words registered in his mind “Oh.. OH” Stiles grinned “She's finally going to tell her”  
“You okay?”  
“Yeah” Stiles laughed “Yeah, I’m good” Stiles looked out of the window thoughtfully “Hey Derek?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Can we take the long way to the diner?”  
“What do you think I’m doing?”  
  
  
  
Lydia kept close to Allison as they found a clearing close to the house, Allison had suggested a change of scenery and Lydia was only too happy to oblige, the house was a depressing sight and Lydia could only stay still for so long. She crouched down beside Allison's bow and arrows while the brunette pinned a target to the tree at the other end of the clearing, Lydia made sure to keep listening for any signs of human life coming towards them while simultaneously keeping her hearing attuned to Allison's heartbeat, at this point Lydia isn't sure she can imagine life without Allison's heartbeat to serve as background noise any more  
“Lyds?” Allison called  
Lydia pushed herself upright and began to walk towards Allison “What's wrong?”  
“Look at this” Allison stepped to the side so Lydia could see whatever she was talking about. Right underneath the target there were four jagged claw marks embedded into the bark  
“There are more over there” Allison gestured, Lydia followed her gaze and surely enough Lydia could see similar marks “Who do you think did it?” Allison mused  
“It was me”  
“What?” Allison frowned, turning to Lydia  
“Yeah” Lydia let her claws slide out of her left hand and she placed them against the tree, showing how they were a perfect match “I... Lost my temper”  
“...When?” Allison asked quietly  
“The day you were taken” Lydia replied. She began to pull her hand from the tree when Allison covered it with her own, paying no mind to her claws “We had all met at the house to come up with a plan and I just couldn't keep control, I was so angry”  
“It wasn't your fault Lydia”  
“I should have protected you!”  
“You couldn't have known, none of us saw it coming Lydia” Allison replied, her hand falling away from Lydia's  
“I should have been there for you” Lydia retracted her claws, eyes focused on Allison “I should have been there and I wasn't and you got hurt”  
“I was coming to see you” Allison whispered, Lydia could see traces of tears forming in Allison's eyes  
“Why?” Lydia asked, stepping closer “you never told me why”  
Allison shook her head “I just... You're so important to me Lydia, you mean the world to me and I keep asking you to stay and that's not fair on you, I don't want you to feel obligated to stay, to protect me because I can't protect myself, I feel like I’m trapping you and I shouldn't let my feelings for you get in the way of what you want and-”  
“Allison, hey, hey” Lydia closed the space between them and placed a hand on Allison's cheek, effectively silencing her “hey, don't cry, it's okay”  
Allison pressed her cheek into Lydia's touch and her eyes fluttered shut and for a moment, Lydia is reminded of the night in the woods, the night Allison and Stiles had saved her and Erica from Chris and how much things had changed over the course of a few days  
“I don't want you to feel like you have to stay with me” Allison whispered, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, Lydia feels like she might start crying herself  
“Allison...” Lydia sighed “Do you trust me?”  
Allison nodded “With my life”  
Lydia shifted her hand to push Allison's hair behind her ear before bringing her thumb to wipe the tear from Allison's face  
“Can I try something?” Lydia asked quietly, letting her eyes drop deliberately to Allison's lips, she sees Allison nod and Lydia lets her thumb drag lightly down Allison's cheek, watching Allison's lips part as she reaches her chin. Lydia looks up and meets Allison's gaze before finally moving in, easing Allison forward gently until their lips meet, she moves her hand back up to Allison's cheek to rub her thumb over the skin. Lydia hears Allison's heart begin to race, feels the girls hands curl into fists into her shirt  
Lydia is the one to break the kiss, moving her head back and not missing how Allison moves forward, catching herself at the last moment and settling for keeping their foreheads pressed together, Lydia is only too aware of how her own heart is racing, her breath coming out quickly against Lydia's lips  
“Why were you coming to see me that night?” Lydia asked quietly  
Allison was quiet for a few moments before she replied, Lydia didn't press, she desperately wanted to kiss Allison again, her wolf was crying out for it, feeling starved of contact  
“Because I love you” Allison admitted eventually “I was coming to tell you that I love you” Allison began to draw back, Lydia could tell how worried Allison seemed to be, obviously thinking that maybe the feelings weren't reciprocated, Lydia held Allison in place, only letting her move far enough back so Lydia could see her eyes clearly  
“Allison, you're the strongest person I’ve ever met” she cupped Allison's face with her hands, thumbs wiping under her eyes to rid them of tears “I stay because I want to, I stay because I love you”  
“You.... You love me?” Allison asked  
Lydia smiled softly and pressed a chaste kiss to Allison's lips “With all my heart” she replied. Allison stared at Lydia for a moment longer before she pulled Lydia against her, their lips meeting once more, Lydia got her hands tangled into Allison's hair as Allison kissed her, their lips moving surely against each other. One of Allison's arms wrapped around Lydia's shoulders, the other moving into her hair  
“I love you too” Allison breathed out between kisses “I love you”  
Lydia felt her wolf stir at the words, she kissed harder, letting her tongue flick over Allison's lips until eventually, Allison opened her mouth against Lydia's. Lydia supposes that she should be annoyed, angry even, this could have happened sooner, there had been so many chances for this to happen, opportunities that were interrupted far too soon, but she isn't. Lydia is just thankful, thankful that this is really happening, that she gets to be the one to kiss Allison, to hold her this way and that despite their best efforts, Chris, Gerard and the hunters have been unsuccessful in keeping them apart, they'll never be able to keep them apart  
Allison whimpered into Lydia's mouth and Lydia let out a low growl of content in response, turning Allison and guiding her back towards the tree, never once breaking contact. Allison's back connected with the tree and Allison broke the kiss with a pained cry, the sound being more than enough to break Lydia out of the moment as she remembered the unknown injury on Allison's back.  
“Allison, shit, shit I'm sorry” Lydia's hands moved to grip Allison's arms and pull her away from the tree only for Allison to side step her completely and hold a hand up  
“It's fine”  
“It's not fine, you're in pain, I’m so sorry”  
“Lydia, forget it, I’m fine” Allison replied, sounding on the verge of tears “Please, please let it go”  
“I _can't_ Allison, you're hurting. _I_ hurt you, I can't let you hurt”  
Allison shook her head and pressed her back against the tree, barely stifling a whimper  
“You're gonna be mad if you see it”  
“Maybe” Lydia replied with a nod, she cupped Allison's chin and made the girl look at her “But I won't be mad at you. I could never be mad at you”  
“Lydia-”  
“Do you still trust me?”  
Allison nodded “You know I do, I trust you with my life”  
Lydia placed a gentle kiss on Allison's lips and pulled back slightly “Then let me help you, I'm not going to be mad at you I promise”  
Allison bit down on her lip and closed her eyes, responding with the smallest of nods. She unzipped her hoodie with shaking hands. Lydia covered them with her own  
“It's okay Allison, you're okay” Lydia whispered, pressing her lips to Allison's temple “You're okay”  
“I'm sorry Lydia, I should have said something sooner” Allison replied, Lydia eased her out of the hoodie and let it fall to the ground, Allison wrapped her arms around herself “I tried to tell you, but... I.. I couldn't stop the flashes. I couldn't stop remembering everything”  
Lydia rubbed her hands over Allison's arms, drawing out the heat and taking note of the now mostly healed skin, the bruises were gone, all that remained were a scattering of scabs from when Allison had been thrown around.  
Allison's hands moved down to the bottom of her shirt and clutched at the fabric, Lydia watched the muscles tense in her hands  
“Just breathe Allison, I’m here. I'm not going anywhere” Lydia could feel her heart breaking at the obvious distress Allison was in, she didn't like feeling like she was forcing Allison into showing her, but the fact remained that Allison _did_ want to show Lydia, she was just scared of the reaction she would receive, that for some reason whatever Gerard had done to her would be enough to drive Lydia away.  
Allison turned away from Lydia, her forehead hitting the tree gently, unsure, Lydia stepped closer  
“May I?” she asked, hands brushing against the bottom of Allison's shirt.  
Allison drew a shaky breath “Yeah”  
“Okay” Lydia replied, Allison straightened up as Lydia lifted the shirt, exposing inch after inch of skin, Lydia was relieved to see that Allison's back was mostly cut free, save for one that had clearly started on the front of Allison's body, she could visualise Gerard walking around Allison, dragging the blade along with him... Lydia shook the thought away, that wasn't what was important right now, she could obsess over that later. Allison lifted her arms so Lydia could lift the shirt off of her and didn't quite manage to conceal her gasp at the injury she had exposed. Sitting in the space between Allison's shoulder blades lay a fleur de lis, easily as big as the triskele tattoo Lydia had seen Derek sporting on more than one occasion, only, this clearly wasn't a tattoo, the sick fucker had actually branded Allison.  
“Allison...” Lydia reached out and let her hand ghost over the burn, lingering close to the dark material of her bra “I'm so sorry” it looked well healed, well past the scabbing stage (Lydia suspected that Deaton's ointment had helped speed the process along) but it still looked angry and almost raw to the touch  
“He marked me” Allison whispered, Lydia carefully placed her fingertips around the burn and bit down on her lip as she felt the pain flood her senses “He said that none of you would trust me now” Allison's hands gripped at the tree as her shoulders began to shake “He marked me like a farmer would brand an animal, he marked me as belonging to him...” Allison broke off and took a long shuddery breath “He marked me as a hunter, as belonging to him” Lydia watched Alison's knuckles turn white with how hard she was gripping the tree “I don't want to be his, Lydia” she added in a broken voice  
“You don't belong to anybody but yourself Allison” Lydia replied, still clutching Allison's shirt, she settled her hands on Allison's hips “Only you can say who you belong to, nobody else gets a say, regardless of the circumstances” Lydia frowned, thinking to the claim her wolf had made “Gerard doesn't own you, Chris doesn't own you. Nobody owns you Allison”  
“The brand-”  
“Doesn't define you” Lydia leant forward and pressed her lips at the tip of the brand, she felt Allison stiffen “You're still Allison, you're still the girl I've fallen in love with and this changes nothing about you. Stiles and the others won't see you any differently, we all love you Allison. He may have scarred you but that does not change who you are in here,” Lydia let her left hand reach around and press itself against Allison's heart “Never forget that” Lydia kissed the brand again, she pulled away slightly when Allison turned, she didn't even have time to see the rest of the injuries covering Allison's torso as Allison wrapped her arms around Lydia's waist, her head buried into Lydia's neck  
“I'm sorry”  
“Hey...” Lydia slipped a hand into Allison's hair “you have nothing to be sorry for” Lydia held Allison carefully as she eased them both down to the ground, Lydia leant against the tree, Allison settling down into her lap, head still buried in Lydia's neck. Lydia held Allison, hands moving over her arms to keep her warm and keeping her close  
“Allison” Lydia spoke up eventually, the girls skin was covered in goosebumps “You're freezing”  
Allison sniffed and lifted her head, eyes red from crying “I didn't even notice”  
Lydia offered a small smile and picked Allison's shirt up from the ground, Allison took it from her and pulled it on, Lydia took advantage of the moment to admire the girls body, the tight muscles of her stomach, sharp hipbones, the swell of her breasts  
“They're ugly” Allison says. Lydia looks up to meet the girls eyes, realising that Allison thinks she was staring at the cuts decorating her torso, Allison rolls the shirt down past her breasts and Lydia settles a hand over Allison's to halt her movements  
“Actually I was admiring your abs, you've been holding out on me Alli, didn't realise you had such an impressive set of muscles” to prove her point Lydia places her hand over Allison's stomach, feeling the muscles tense under her touch, she flashed Allison a flirty smile and was delighted when a light blush rose to her cheeks, she pulled Allison's shirt down the rest of the way and reached out towards where her hoodie lay in the dirt, dusting off a few leaves before picking it up and draping it over Allison's shoulders  
“What are we?” Allison asked  
“Whatever you want us to be Allison, I love you. So long as you know that, the ball is entirely your court”  
Allison nodded slowly, lip pulled between her teeth. Lydia watched Allison slide her arms into the sleeves of the hoodie  
“I want you Lydia” Allison replied eventually “I want to be yours”  
“Allison-”  
“But I want you to be mine too” Allison reached out to cup Lydia's cheeks “Are you mine Lydia? W- will you be mine?”  
Lydia smiled and gripped the soft material of Allison's hoodie “In a heartbeat”   
Allison stared at her for a moment, a wide smile broke out on her face “Can I kiss you?”  
“You don't have to ask Allison” Lydia replied, Allison laughed and leant in, capturing Lydia's lips with her own 

 

Stiles balanced the tray of drinks in his hand as he climbed from the car, walking the short distance from the car to the house with Derek walking close behind. Derek had driven them to the diner so slow that by the time they had gotten there Stiles felt like he was going to pass out from hunger. To make it worse he had to stay in the car while Derek went inside just in case the sheriff walked by. Derek practically had to restrain Stiles from stealing fries from the bags of food. As a compromise, Derek had agreed to drive back faster  
Stiles turned into the living room and froze in the doorway, Derek barely stopping before he crashed into the back of him  
Lydia sat propped up against the wall, Allison leaning against her, Lydia's arms were wrapped loosely around Allison's waist and holding her in place, her forehead resting against the back of Allison's head. Stiles watched the steady rise and fall of Allison's chest and felt himself smile, she looked so settled, it was the first time Stiles had really seen Allison look like herself in days.  
Stiles moved further into the room and Lydia lifted her head, taking care not to jostle Allison as she looked their way  
“About time you got here” She said quietly, Allison stirred slightly in her arms and Lydia leant forward to nuzzle against Allison's head, Stiles watched as she settles immediately  
“Derek wanted to take the scenic route to the diner” Stiles explained, behind him the alpha huffed “Is she okay?” he asked, walking over and sitting down close to the pair  
“She's fine, no nightmares or anything” Lydia replied, her voice muffled by Allison's hair, Stiles could see her smile though  
“Well she should wake up” Stiles teased, nudging Allison's leg with his foot “We have lunch and I brought her a milkshake”  
“He insisted on buying extra curly fries too” Derek says, setting the food down beside the tray of drinks  
“I hope you like cheeseburgers” Stiles wasted no time in pulling food from the bag “And we got you a strawberry smoothie” he gestured to the drink nearest to Lydia  
Lydia shifted slightly to eye the drink, still keeping her cheek pressed against the side of Allison's head  
“Strawberry smoothie and cheeseburgers, interesting mix” she remarked  
Stiles shrugged and shoved a handful of fries into his mouth, watching as Lydia turned to whisper something into Allison's ear. Allison stirred and opened her eyes, she slowly focused on Stiles and her eyes widened considerably as she shifted, moving back further into Lydia's arms  
“Jesus, Stiles, you're covered in ketchup, are you a child?” Derek threw a paper napkin in his direction, Stiles poked his tongue out at the alpha and wiped at his face, noticing how Allison relaxed immediately, though Stiles assumed that was because of the way Lydia was still whispering in her ear more than his previously ketchup covered face. He reaches for her milkshake and holds it out towards her  
“Welcome back sleepyhead” he winks  
Allison smiles and takes the drink from him and shifts off of Lydia's lap until she's sat beside the girl, making sure to stay close to the wolf  
“Have you heard from Scott?” Allison asked, she smiled when Lydia held out a crudely wrapped cheeseburger  
“Nope” Stiles replied, he looked between the two girls “So who kissed who first?”  
Allison blushed furiously and ducked so her hair hid her face from Stiles, her head falling against Lydia's shoulder. Lydia smiled affectionately down at the girl  
“I did” she replied, nuzzling her head against Allison's  
“Congratulations” Derek said, Stiles glanced over at the alpha, surprised to see him actually smiling. It was reassuring to know he had emotions other than angry and violent  
Stiles looked back to Allison and Lydia, focussing more on Lydia, who eventually pulled her gaze away from Allison to meet his eye  
“Do I have to give you the 'if you ever hurt her, I’ll kill you' speech?” Stiles asked  
“Stiles....” Allison mumbled  
“If I ever hurt her, I’ll personally load the gun for you to shoot me with” Lydia replied.  
Stiles watched as Allison looked between the pair and nodded at Lydia “Good” he said before turning his attention to his meal  
They eat in silence, Stiles alternates between focusing intently on his meal and stealing glances at Allison and Lydia. He's just so relieved that in the midst of all this shit there's still room for some happiness, there's still time for stealing kisses and holding hands and Stiles is just glad that Allison has this now, she has Lydia who has done nothing but do everything in her power to keep Allison safe. He smiles as Lydia offers Allison some of her curly fries and Allison smiling before leaning in to kiss Lydia on the cheek. It's probably the first time Stiles has ever seen Lydia blush  
Stiles is brought out from his thoughts by the sound of Lydia's phone going off, signalling a message and he feels a sense of dread in his stomach, mirrored perfectly with a look of worry from Allison.  
Lydia set her drink down and pulled out her phone, keeping one hand on Allison's hip the entire time  
"It's from my mother" Lydia says, her face wrinkled up into a frown and Stiles feels the tension slip from the room once more "ugh, she has a date tonight with some rich pompous client" her eyes moved over the screen "oh he's taking her on a long weekend vacation, of course he is" Lydia sighed heavily and slipped her phone into her pocket "well this is good news"  
"How?" Derek asked  
"Well my mom is going to be out of town for the next few days while she lives it up with the man of the week meaning that one, I don't have to worry about her getting caught in the crossfire. And two, it means we have a place to stay tonight that isn't the floor of the vets office or this place" Lydia gestured around them  
"Thank God, after last night I seriously need a shower" Stiles groaned, he instinctively flexed his hands and suppressed a hiss of pain as the skin around his knuckles pulls, at this point it's probably best to just sweep last night under the rug, play it off and pretend it never happened. Allison seemed to agree in the idea, though Stiles strongly suspected that it was a shared trait they developed from their childhood, he knows it isn't a healthy way of dealing with anything and that it's probably playing a part in their current mental states. That and the years of abuse obviously, that definitely left a few mental scars  
"It's good though, that she isn't going to be here, you don't have to worry about keeping her safe" Allison spoke up  
"She's more than capable of taking care of herself" Lydia replied, "denial is her speciality, you know she hasn't even _questioned_ the lack of scars from an animal attack that left me in a coma?" Lydia waved a hand "it's fine"  
Allison frowned slightly and reached out to cup Lydia's cheek, turning the girls face towards her, there's a moment where they just stare at one another, Lydia's hand moving up to cover Allison's, Stiles looks away when they kiss, feeling like he's interrupting a private moment  
Stiles suddenly realises how much he's missing Scott

 

Scott slung his bag onto his shoulder when the final bell rang, he walked out of his class and looked down the hallway, picking out Isaac among the crowd  
"Isaac!" Scott called, the boy turned and looked around until he caught sight of Scott, he stopped and waited patiently for Scott to navigate through the mass of people until he reached Isaac  
"What is it?" Isaac asked  
"You have detention now, right?"  
Isaac frowned and leant against the wall of lockers "yeah, why?"  
Scott shrugged "are Boyd or Erica going to hang out and wait for you?"  
"No, why would they?"  
This time it was Scott's turn to frown "because people want us dead and we shouldn't be separated?"  
Isaac snorted "I'm in detention, I think I'm safe" he rolled his eyes "you should get back to your twins"  
Scott wrinkled his nose "they aren't _mine_ "  
"You're right, Allison doesn't belong to you" Isaac replied  
Scott nodded slowly, unsure how to respond, he feels like he should protest, that the twins are people, not objects but there's still a level of hesitance around Isaac. The boy showed no regret for the things he had said the day before, for the most part Isaac just seemed to have little care for everything other than the preservation of himself, Boyd and Erica, probably Derek too. Scott suddenly remembers that they aren't his pack, Derek _definitely_ isn't his alpha either. Even so, he still cares about them  
"McCall!" Scott hears Erica call, both Isaac and Scott turned to the source of the sound "What're you doing here?" She asks once she's reached them, Boyd close at her heels, she gave him a brief once over and clicked her tongue once "would have thought you would have high tailed it back by now"  
"I was just leaving" Scott replied "I just wanted to make sure Isaac would be okay"  
"Because apparently I'm not capable of taking care of myself" Isaac mumbled  
"Isaac..." Boyd sighed  
"Look, just go, I'll be fine. I actually have a theory that the father away from the twins I am the more likely I am to survive this shit storm. Besides, I'll keep in touch" Isaac pats the pocket of his pants where Scott can clearly see the outline of his cell phone  
"Do you need a ride back to Derek's?" Boyd asked, Scott turned to the boy, tuning out whatever it is Erica and Isaac have to say to one another  
"Nah, I have my bike, but I need to make it quick. My mom is going to get suspicious if I'm gone for too long"  
"Think you can beat us there?" Erica asked  
"I'm not going to race you" Scott replied, he stepped past them and made his way towards the exit "I just want to see my friends before I have to go home"  
"Fine, but at least try and keep up" Erica nudged Scott with her shoulder  
"That won't be a problem" Scott laughed.  
They broke away as they reached the parking lot, Scott watched Boyd and Erica walk towards Boyd's car. Scott made quick work of unlocking his bike and pushing off  
He pedals through the streets, letting himself slip into a sense of relaxation as he moved, letting the faces of people walking along the pavement blur as they all went about their regular routine

  
Scott congratulates himself when he hits the traffic lights for not letting himself get distracted with thoughts of the twins or hunters or anything remotely supernatural for the past ten minutes, instead focusing on the burn of his legs as he made the journey home.  
Now, however, Scott was sat waiting at the lights, he glanced around the empty streets, not at all surprised by the sudden absence of people or cars, it was a quiet part of town after all. Scott's phone rang, the familiar tone signalling a message pulling him from his senses  
Scott reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone just as a car pulled up on his right. Scott looks up as the window rolls down and shakes his head as Erica leans forward  
“Hey there McCall, didn't your mother teach you not to text and drive?”  
Scott holds up his phone “I'm not texting and I’m not driving”  
Erica waves a hand “Whatever”  
Scott rolls his eyes and looks back at his phone, feeling his blood run cold as he sees who it's from. With a sense of dread, he opens the message and reads over the message, barely registering Boyd and Erica in the car beside him  


_From: ???  
_ _What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? People die.  
_ _Tell your mother we said hi_

  
Scott stared at the message for a moment before he was shocked out of his haze by Boyd pulling away as the lights changed. Scott lifts his head as the sound of a second engine joins the sound, this engine sounding stronger. Scott looked to his right to where a black SUV was tearing down the road  
Scott was completely powerless to do anything as he watched the SUV run the red light and plough straight into the right side of Boyd's car, the door crumpling like paper under the sudden impact, the sound of tires screeching force Scott to cover his ears with his hands as he watches Boyd's car lurch to the side as the SUV sends it almost rolling off of the road, leaving a trail of shattered glass.  
Scott leaps from his bike and sprints to where the car now rests, the sound of tires screeching as the SUV drives away. He sees the steady stream of smoke rising from the engine.  
He sees a bloody hand print smeared on the passenger window  


  
“We're going to do a patrol of the property, okay?” Lydia spoke quietly as she crouched down to her level, Allison had to strain to hear her, Lydia's thumb was stroking along her cheekbone and it was proving to be a huge distraction  
“Okay” Allison replied  
Lydia glanced in Stiles' direction “We'll go out of earshot, I promise”  
Allison smiled and leant forward, pressing their foreheads together “I believe you”  
“Okay... I'll be back soon” Lydia pulled back slightly, she lingered, eyes flicking between Allison's eyes and lips  
Allison nodded “Okay”  
“Okay” Lydia mirrored her nod, hesitating for a moment longer before leaning in to kiss Allison. Allison felt everything just stop for a moment, her worries and anxieties faded to silence. Lydia kisses her softly, hand slipping into her hair to hold her still and the entire thing leaves Allison breathless  
Lydia breaks the kiss after a while, it takes Allison a moment to open her eyes to look at the girl, Lydia's eyes boring into her  
“Okay” Lydia breathed, kissing Allison once more “okay, I’m going”  
“Just give us ten minutes” Allison replied, resisting the urge to follow Lydia as she stood up  
Lydia nodded “Okay” she took a few steps forward, eyes still fixed on Allison “You ready Derek?”  
the alpha nodded “Let's get this over with” he sighed as he made his way to the door, Lydia finally turned away and followed Derek out of the house. Allison stared at the empty doorway, absent mindedly reaching up to press her fingers to her lips, the lingering taste of Lydia's lip gloss still lingering. Allison couldn't believe that this was happening, Lydia had _kissed_ her. Multiple times, she had told her she loved her. It had actually happened, this was real. Allison smiled and let her hand fall from her lips  
“So what's so important you had to send the guard dogs away?” Stiles asked, Allison jumped slightly and turned to Stiles  
“We need to talk” she replied eventually  
Stiles nodded stiffly “I figured” he ran a hand over his hair “Is it about when we were kids?”  
Allison shook her head and slowly got to her feet, shoving her hands into the pockets of her hoodie “No, no it's not.... But we do need to talk about that at some point”  
Stiles sighed and dropped his head for a moment “I know” He mumbled  
Allison swallowed “It's about what Gerard did to me”  
Stiles' head snapped up, their eyes locking and Allison couldn't help the way her body tensed up immediately “Alli... What did he do?”  
Allison shifted uncomfortably, forcing herself to hold his gaze “I... Stiles, please, please don't get mad”  
Hurt flashes over her brothers features for a moment, he slowly inches closer to Allison “I'm not going to get mad at you Allison”  
Allison unclenched her fists and pulled her hands from her pockets as she forced herself to breathe “I can't do this if you get mad...” She trails off, unsure of how to continue, she doesn't want to hurt Stiles, something she knows will definitely happen if she brings up the elephant in the room. She's _scared_ of him when he's angry, Stiles is a force to be reckoned with when he's angry and it terrifies her, even when it's not directed at her. She doesn't like the way his eyes get cold and dark, it brings up so many memories  
Stiles' expression softens and Allison knows it's because he's picked up on her thoughts, curse of being a twin she guesses.  
“I'm going to get mad Allison” Stiles says, there's only a couple of feet separating them “but it's not going to be at you okay? I promise I’m not going to be mad at you”  
Allison pulls at her hoodie before sighing heavily, she closed her eyes for a few moments and willed herself to calm down  
"He electrocuted me, there was this... Baton thing he had, him and the hunters would use it, they held my head under water until I almost passed out" she opened her eyes slowly "they tied me to a chair, chained me up and hoisted me in the air by my wrists..." She trailed off, watching as Stiles' hands closed into fists, Allison rubs absent mindedly at one of her wrists, the abrasions from the ropes have mostly healed by this point, only light bruising remained but Allison could see faint scars under the bruises "my shoulders almost dislocated" she added  
Stiles nodded, head hanging slightly "Does Lydia know about this?"  
"I told her last night" Allison replied, she expected him to be hurt that she had told Lydia first but Stiles just looked relieved  
"Good. Good" he flexed his hands, Allison watched the muscles tense in his arms  
Allison closed her eyes and reminded herself to breathe, Stiles wasn't mad at her, she repeated the words to herself a few more times "There's more" she said suddenly, Stiles startled slightly at her outburst, he stared at her questioningly, waiting for her response "there were knives... There were a lot of knives"  
"Knives?" Stiles asked, his voice wavered slightly  
"Gerard... He cut me. He cut me a lot"  
"Allison.... Where?"  
"Stomach mostly, ribs,...." She unzips her hoodie and pulls her shirt down slightly, revealing one of her cuts "collarbone..."  
Stiles looked like he was on the verge of tears, Allison shrugged the hoodie off and took a shaky breath "Allison, I'm so sorry"  
"There's something else, something... Something worse" her voice cracked, this was the moment she was dreading. Dread flashed over Stiles' face, Allison doesn't even want to imagine what he must be thinking but something tells her that it doesn't compare to the reality of what happened. Allison blows out a breath "he wanted to make me a hunter... He wanted to show you all, show me... That I was a hunter"  
Stiles frowned "Allison, what are you taking about?"  
Allison hesitated for a moment "I-I'm going to just show you" before she could change her mind or Stiles could protest, Allison turned on her heel and pulled her shirt over her head, glad that Stiles couldn't see when she grimaced in pain, she clutched the shirt tightly in one hand, she could feel her heart hammering in her chest, waiting for Stiles' reaction. She wasn't sure how bad it looked, Lydia had told her that it wasn't infected and that it was healing well enough but there was a lingering silence where they were all too consciously aware that it was something Allison would have for the rest of her life. Unable to bear the silence any longer, Allison put her shirt on, painfully aware of Stiles' eyes on her. She didn't know what to say to fill the silence, she was too scared to face Stiles, she didn't want to see his face  
Allison heard the floorboards creak under Stiles' weight as he crossed the short distance between them, his hand closing around her wrist and turning her towards him and pulling her against him in one swift moment. Stiles wrapped one arm around her back, the other finding its place at the back of her head and holding her close  
"I'm sorry Allison. I'm so sorry he did that to you"  
Allison's hands clung to his back, face buried in his neck. Stiles has always, _always_ joked about being the big brother, twins or not, technically he was the older sibling based on a ten minute difference, but he rarely _felt_ like a big brother.  
Until now of course, wrapped up in Stiles' arms he felt like the protective big brother he always joked that he was  
"Allison..." Stiles began and Allison felt her heart lurch at his tone, she knew exactly what he was going to say to her, "I'm going to kill him for hurting you"  
Allison closed her eyes, she hadn't been wrong "Stiles" she sighed  
"I know, I know you don't want me to kill, you're scared it's going to make me dark and twisty..." Stiles held on slightly tighter "But we both know I'm already on that path"  
"You're not Stiles, you're not dark, you had a blip"  
Stiles laughed hollowly "that's not what I would call it"  
"We were kids Stiles, it doesn't define you"  
"Will you hate me if I kill him?" Stiles asked  
"I could never hate you Stiles, you scare me sometimes, you know that"  
"I do" Stiles replied, Allison moved her head to his other shoulder, shifting slightly so she could feel his heart  
"But I'll never hate you, I don't hate you Stiles, I never have, I never will-"  
"What if I were to hurt Lydia?"  
Allison opened her eyes and let her grip loosen on the back of his shirt "you would never do the that"  
"How do you know that Allison?"  
Allison smiled "because you hurting Lydia would be like me hurting Scott" Stiles pulled away, a frown tugging at his lips  
"I don't love Scott" he replied, hands moving along her arms, closing over the space where her arm had broken all those years ago "...Not, not like you love Lydia" he adds, his expression contemplative. Allison smiled fondly, deciding it was best to let the matter drop for now   
“Besides” Allison nudges him with her elbow “I'll kick your ass if you punch her again”  
Stiles laughed and rubbed at his jaw “I'll keep that In mind”  
Allison smiled and moved to hug him once more, pausing when her phone vibrated with a message.   
The twins shared a look as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone  
“Is it-” Stiles began  
“Yeah” Allison swallowed, reading over the words and feeling her blood run cold  
“What does it say?”  
Allison met her brothers eyes “'I warned you'”

  


"Erica!" Scott yelled, hand closing around the handle of the passenger door, she didn't respond though he could hear both her and Boyd's heartbeats, it was difficult to focus over the sound of blood pumping in his ears. Scott pulled on the crumpled door, gripping onto the frame with his other hand and using his claws to get a more secure hold. He could feel pressure on the other side of the door and assumed Erica was pushing on it from her side, Scott heard the door on the other side and a moment later Boyd was at his side pulling at the door  
"Are you okay?" Scott asked, he glanced to Boyd and spotted a streak of blood down the left side of his face, clearly coming from a gash near his temple  
"I'm fine" Boyd growled, with his brute strength it took no time at all for the pair to pull the door open  
"About time" Erica spoke through gritted teeth, Scott could see blood seeping through her shirt "you need to go"  
"I'm not going anywhere" Scott replied, "where does it hurt?"  
"I was just hit by a car, I hurt _everywhere_ McCall"  
Scott and Boyd slowly pulled Erica from the car, Scott was relieved that the only serious looking injury was coming from her side, Scott's biggest concern was that he couldn't figure out what caused the injury, like Boyd, Erica also head a gash on her head from a sharp impact against the window  
"She's right" Boyd crouched down beside Erica, hands hovering over her as she closed her eyes "you should go"  
Scott shook his head "what if they come back? They were hunters, you know they were"  
"What if your mom realises you were here when this happened?" Erica replied "the last thing you need is the extra baggage"  
Scott shoved his hands into his hair as frustration began to set in "what do we do?" He asked "do we call the cops?"  
Boyd pulled his gaze away from Erica to scan the area around them  
"We don't have much choice, the tire marks can be brushed off but the glass is too telling, my car would be linked to the scene"  
"Shit" Scott breathed "Shit, shit, shit"  
"Pull yourself together Scott" Erica groaned, she lifted her shirt slightly to inspect her injury, satisfied to see the injury stitching itself together "Go, go to Derek, make sure the twins are safe, we'll take care of this"  
Scott shook his head "I can't just leave you both! I can't run away while you take the fall for this!" Scott had to force tears back, he felt so useless and there was nothing he could do about it  
"Scott" Boyd turned from Erica and stood up, placing his hands on Scott's shoulders "We'll be fine"  
Scott's mind ran a mile a minute, what would he tell the twins? The text had mentioned his mother, he knew that it they knew and that they would go back to the house without hesitation. He couldn't let that happen but he couldn't let his mom be at risk. Scott looked to Erica who nodded   
"Go Scott, we've got this"  
Scott stepped back from Boyd "fine, fine okay" he blew a shaky breath from his mouth and made a decision "come to my place tonight, the sooner the better, bring Isaac too if he wants, I'll keep my window open"  
Erica and Boyd frowned "do we tell Derek?" Boyd asked  
Scott shook his head and jogged over to his bike "I'll deal with that, I have your number, I'll forward you the details"  
"Okay" Erica replied, using Boyd to pull herself up "Go"  
"Stay safe you guys" Scott replied  
Boyd offered a grim smile "you too"

  


“Do you plan on telling me why we're this far away from the house?” Derek asked, they had walked in silence until Lydia could no longer hear Allison or Stiles' heartbeats  
“Allison needed to have a talk with Stiles, we couldn't be there to interrupt” Lydia replied  
“Am I allowed to know?”  
“If Allison wants to tell you, she will”  
“So she's already told you” Derek says  
Lydia stopped walking, satisfied with the amount of ground they've covered and nodded “She has” she turns around to where she can just make out the house in the distance  
“Have you told her about the claim?”  
“No”  
“You need to talk to her about it”  
“I know, I know.” Lydia sighed “I'm going to tell her tonight”  
“Good”  
The pair fell into silence after that, Lydia having not much else to do but prop herself against a tree and listen out for any hunters who might be stupid enough to try and come near them again. That, and thinking about how things must be going for Allison and Stiles, if Allison has managed to tell him yet, if she has, how did Stiles react? Lydia is still upset over it, that Allison would think that they would think less of her because of the brand, that it would do anything to diminish Lydia's feelings for her, though Lydia suspects that the reason Allison had thought that was thanks to her oh so charming grandfather.  
Her wolf was angry, territorial over the fact that Gerard had marked Allison as a hunter and belonging to him for that. Her wolf wanted Gerard dead for hurting Allison as much as he had, she hadn't had much of a chance to study the rest of the wounds on Allison's body other than the few moments she had while Allison was putting her shirt back on, even so, the brand was enough. If Lydia knew Stiles at all, it would be that he would agree on her plan to put Gerard down, he probably wanted to do it himself.  
But Lydia couldn't stop thinking about the claim, Allison _had_ said that she wanted to be Lydia's, she had played the memory over in her mind at least a dozen times over the last couple of hours, but Lydia couldn't help but be worried that Allison would be angry or upset over being told that Lydia's wolf wanted to essentially own Allison and that there was nothing they could do to break it, at least, not that Lydia knew of.  
“Derek, can you break a claim?” Lydia spoke suddenly, Derek looked to her in confusion  
“No, why would you want to do that? You love Allison?”  
“But I don't want to _own_ her, calling her mine is one thing, wanting to flay you because she smelt of you last night is a whole other deal”  
Derek's brow furrowed “You want to flay me?”  
“Wanted to.” Lydia corrected “She wore your jacket all day, she stank of....that” Lydia waved a hand, gesturing to the alpha in general  
“She was cold”  
“I know, it's fine, I’m over it”  
“She smells like you now” Derek pointed out  
“I'm aware” Lydia replied, folding her arms across her chest “But my point still stands, how would the claim break?”  
“When you die”  
“What?”  
“The claim only ends when _you_ die, when your wolf dies.” Derek tilted his head back against the tree “It should get easier for you, now that you know she loves you back, but you're so territorial anyway and because of everything going on... It might take a while for you to notice. But she loves you, she's told you this”  
Lydia stared at Derek, taking in his posture and the frown on his face and realisation finally hits her  
“You claimed someone once, didn't you?”  
There was a weighted silence as she stared at him “Yes” Derek replied eventually  
“What happened to them?” Lydia asked  
“She died”  
Lydia dropped her head “I'm sorry”  
“Don't be, it was a long time ago”  
“But the claim still exists?”  
“That's the curse of being a wolf, Lydia” Derek pushed away from the tree “the human side may move on, I can love again, but my wolf will never move on, my wolf will always love her and howl for her, nothing I do will change that”  
Lydia felt her heart clench at Derek's words “That's so sad”  
Derek didn't respond, now clearly lost in his own thoughts and Lydia suddenly felt sorry for the man, for so many years he's experienced nothing but heartbreak from losing his family to losing the girl he loved. But he's pulled through it and Lydia can tell he cares about his pack, he cares about her and Scott and he definitely cares about the twins, even if he is slightly restrained in showing it  
“Is that why you care so much about me and Allison?” Lydia asked  
Derek nodded after a few moments “I know how painful it is to have a claim, you're lucky enough to have a reciprocated love, you and I aren't pack, but you're still a relatively new wolf, it doesn't matter that you're part of a different pack, I still feel that I have a sense of responsibility”  
“And you care for the twins” Lydia added  
“Allison, she reminds me of one of my sisters”  
“The one Peter killed?”  
“No, not Laura. My younger sister, Cora, she would have been the same age as you all” Lydia couldn't offer anything to say in response so Derek continued after a short pause “Stiles' protectiveness of Allison reminds me of myself when I was younger. They don't deserve any of this, none of you do”  
“But that's the way it is” Lydia sighed  
Derek nodded slowly in agreement “That's the way it is” he repeated  
“Lydia! Derek!” Allison yelled, both Lydia and Derek turned to the source, Lydia already moving to where Allison was moving towards them, Stiles close behind. Within moments she had barrelled into Lydia's arms  
“What's wrong?” Lydia asked, Allison stared at her with wide, panicked eyes as Stiles came to a stop beside her  
“Allison got a text” he explained “It said 'I warned you'”  
“I warned you?” Derek repeats “What does that mean?”  
“It means somebody got hurt because of me, just like the text before had said, people get hurt because of me!”  
“Hey, hey it's okay” Lydia soothed, she pulled Allison against her and focused on Stiles “Have you called Scott?”  
Stiles nodded “It went to voice mail, I called Boyd too, it was engaged”  
“Keep trying” Allison urged “Something happened, they wouldn't have sent that otherwise”  
Lydia pressed her lips to Allison's temple and smoothed over Allison's hair “It's okay Allison” she muttered  
“What if something happened to them?”  
“Don't think like that Alli” Stiles replied, he pressed his phone to his ear “Come on you stupid werewolf” he mumbled quietly enough so that Allison couldn't hear him, Allison clung tightly to Lydia, anxiety pouring over her. A few moments passed and Lydia heard a ringing in the distance, a shared glance with Derek confirms her theory, especially when she hears the sound of bike pedals  
“It's okay” Lydia says “Scott's here”  
Stiles hangs up the phone and moves closer as Allison pulls back and rests a hand on Allison's shoulder  
“I told you he was fine Alli” Stiles smiled reassuringly, Lydia frowned as she picked up on Scott's racing heartbeat, the anxiety and fear coming from the boy. The smell of blood as he came into sight.  
Scott hastily dropped his bike and made his way over to them, Lydia heard Allison gasp and she could see why. There were patches of blood covering the boys shirt.

  
“You're bleeding?!” Stiles exclaimed, moving past Allison and stopping in front of Scott. Allison watched as Scott frowned and looked at his shoulders, where the most prominent bloodstains were and shake his head  
“Not my blood” Scott replied, Allison tried to push back the nausea building in her stomach, Lydia's hand moved under her hair to rub at the back of her neck  
“Who's blood is it?” Derek asked  
“Boyd and Erica's.... The.. the hunters, they were at a traffic light and the lights turned green and this SUV came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of them-”  
“Are they okay?” Derek closed the difference, worry evident on his features “Where's Isaac?”  
“He had a detention, he's still at school”  
“Scott, are Boyd and Erica okay?”  
Scott nodded “They're okay, they were banged up but they sent me away, they said that I didn't need the attention from the cops, from my mom”  
“Dude, Mrs McCall is gonna wonder where you are” Stiles replied  
Lydia nudged Allison with her forehead “I told you they were okay” she whispered  
Allison leant into the touch “They still got hurt though, the text was right”  
Scott's head snapped towards them “You got a text?”  
“About ten minutes ago, it said 'I warned you'” Stiles stepped back from Scott and frowned “You've got a shirt under that right?” he asked, gesturing to Scott's flannel  
“Uh..... Yeah”  
“Good, take it off” Stiles replied  
“So they were sending a message, a warning” Lydia said, Allison shifted until she was more or less leaning against the girl, Lydia's arm wrapped protectively around her waist  
“That's one part of it, yeah” Stiles sighed, Scott pulled off his flannel and held it, unsure about what to do with it now “But it's more than that”  
“What else is there?” Derek asked  
Stiles turned to Allison “Scorched earth”  
“Scorched earth?” Lydia frowned, she looked from Stiles to Allison “What's scorched earth?”  
“It's a military tactic” Allison replied, clear memories forming of her and Stiles being quizzed on such terms in their childhood “They um... Basically it involves destroying anything that the enemy would deem useful in a battle...”  
“So usually fuel or food sources would be targeted” Stiles said  
“They're targeting the cars?” Allison frowned at her brother  
Stiles shrugged “They already took out Lydia's car”  
“But that was before Gerard”  
“So was the whole trapping Lydia and Erica In a net situation” Stiles pointed out, Allison snapped her mouth shut, he had a point.  
“While I’m glad the two of you are back to your... twin thing, could you try explaining it so we know what you're talking about?” Derek asked with a heavy sigh  
“They're saying that the hunters are basically hitting two birds with one stone” Lydia replied “They're keeping us on our toes by attacking, they thought they were getting rid of two wolves and they're getting rid of our transport, one car at a time”  
“They're boxing us in” Scott says, eyes wide in realisation  
“So all of our cars are at risk?” Derek asked  
“It seems that way” Stiles replied, “I swear to god if they touch my Jeep...” he muttered threateningly  
Allison's brow furrowed “So they're stopping us from driving, limiting our forms of travel...” She lifts her head to stare at Stiles “Do you thing they're playing the investment angle too?”  
“Another military tactic?” Lydia asked  
“In which you surround the enemy fort-”  
“Or town” Stiles chimed in  
“Or town to prevent entry or escape” Allison finished, Lydia's grip tightened around her waist  
“They're literally turning this place into their hunting grounds” Stiles muttered  
“What do we do?” Scott asked, eventually shoving his flannel into his bag, Allison assumed he'd throw it out at the first chance he got  
“You,” Stiles turned to Scott “Go home, Mrs McCall will be worried”  
“What about you guys?”  
“We're fine” Lydia replied “the twins are coming to my place” she glanced over to Derek “You too, right?”  
Derek nodded. Scott looked thoughtful for a moment and ran his hand through dishevelled hair “We shouldn't all be split up” he says “should Boyd, Erica and Isaac stay with me? They're wolves so they can hide up on the roof if my mom gets suspicious”  
“Good idea” Derek agreed  
“I would probably end up strangling Isaac if he came near us” Stiles added  
“Not to mention it's even numbers” Lydia nodded  
“So that's a yes?” Scott asked  
“That's a yes” Derek confirmed  
“Now go, Scott, before your mom sends out a search party” Stiles winked, Scott laughed, smiling for the first time since he got there and pulled Stiles into a brief hug and smiled in Allison's direction  
“Stay safe you guys”  
“You too, we'll send the others your way when they get here”  
Scott smiled and nodded in Allison and Lydia's direction before turning in his heel and grabbing his bike  
The four of them were silent until he was out of earshot and Stiles sighed heavily  
Allison turned and dropped her head against Lydia's shoulder, deciding that was easier than saying any words  


“Mom, _please_ ” Scott begged, he watched his mother pace the living room from his spot on the sofa  
“Don't take that tone with me Scott, Allison isn't the type to run away, she left her car behind, she left no note, it's out of character for her”  
“But-”  
“And don't even get me started on Stiles or that Martin woman” his moms face twisted into badly disguised disdain “Her daughters best friend is missing and she decides to jet off on some romantic getaway the _day_ the cops show up on her door?” she shook her head violently “And Chris is saying that Allison has done this before? No, no she hasn't, she wouldn't” Scott passed a hand over his face, he had decided before stepping into the house that he would talk as little as possible, on a good day Scott couldn't deal with the excessive lies to his mother, today he stood no chance, the guilt was eating him up inside. He wanted to tell her about being a werewolf, about Lydia and everything that had happened with Peter, he wanted to tell her about everything that was happening now between them and the hunters and the torture Allison had endured he wanted his mom to be there for Allison, she would know what to say to help Allison with Lydia, she would be able to keep an eye on Allison's injuries too and make sure she was safe. He wanted to tell her about his feelings for Stiles, how he was definitely more than just a friend in Scott's eyes.  
More importantly, he wanted to tell her about his fears about the twins childhood, how he thinks they were abused. How he saw Allison's x-ray and there was no way she could have gotten all of those injuries from soccer or lacrosse or any game they played when they were kids.  
But he couldn't do any of that without dragging her more into this mess  
So he stays quiet  
“Give me something Scott” his mothers voice breaks through his thoughts and he looks up into her pleading eyes, “I know you're hiding something from me”  
Scott takes a measured breath and counts slowly, “How do you know that there's something wrong with Allison?” Scott asks, he feels a strange sense of pride when his voice doesn't shake.  
His mother looks at him with a look of pure disappointment, still, she rests on hand on his shoulder and he tries desperately not to think of how only half an hour prior, Boyd's bloody hand print had been in that exact same spot  
“A mother knows, Scott” She replies, pinning him with her gaze, he manages to hold it until she sighs and pulls away “dinner will be done in a couple of hours, go do your homework” the disappointment in her voice is enough to make Scott's chest clench. His eyes begin to fill with tears as she walks away  
“I'm sorry” he whispers  


It's nothing personal to Erica, Stiles actually quite likes her, when she's not tearing a chunk out of his sisters lip to piss off Lydia or constantly insulting them that is. Boyd, despite being built like a tank has been the nicest one to them, even before Derek realised that he and Allison were not in fact, homicidal werewolf hunters. But Isaac? No.  
Stiles didn't like Isaac. Not only had he already attacked Allison once (which granted, he had apologised for) but he hasn't so much as mentioned the way he behaved yesterday, so for now, Stiles is keeping a steady barrier between Derek's betas and Allison. He looks to his left where Lydia is stood, at least she agrees with him.  
Derek Is stood in between them all, proving to be a more solid middleman than Stiles could hope to be  
“So one of the reasons they hit us was to get rid of the car so we couldn't skip town?” Erica frowned  
“Pretty much” Allison replied, a hand on Stiles' shoulder gently eased him to the side and Allison moved into his peripheral vision “They're getting impatient now”  
“Probably because of the sheriff getting involved” Isaac muttered, Stiles glared at the boy, Stiles doesn't care that he looks shaken up about what had happened to his friends, he just really didn't like him  
“You're not wrong” Lydia replied, her voice sounding forced, Stiles leant forward slightly and saw Allison slip her hand into Lydia's and squeezed tight  
“You three are staying with Scott tonight, none of us should be left alone”  
“And you four are staying together?” Erica asked  
“That's right” Lydia replied, Stiles' head turned back to her at the tone of her voice, authoritative as always, no room for questions or debate. Erica nodded slowly and looked between Allison and Lydia, a grin spreading over her face  
“You two kissed!”  
Lydia didn't even try to be subtle about the way she positioned herself slightly in front of Allison, why she felt the need to do so, Stiles couldn't understand. Judging by the way Erica held her hands up in surrender, neither could she  
“Jesus Christ, I'm just making an observation” she defended  
“Either way...” Boyd began, making a show of grabbing Erica by the arm “We're gonna go get changes of clothes and dinner, then we're heading to Scott's”  
“Stay together, stay safe” Derek replied  
“You got it” Erica saluted, Isaac nodded gruffly  
  
Once they were out of earshot, Lydia turned to Allison and nudged their heads together. She was completely aware that this was quickly becoming her go to sign of showing affection (next to kissing Allison of course) but she didn't care, she liked the way Allison smiled and relaxed into the touch  
“So, sudden thought” Stiles began, Lydia pulled back and watched him expectantly “What do we do with my Jeep?”  
“Leave it here?” Allison suggested “I know you don't want them to get to it, but we can't really move it”  
“But if we leave it here and the sheriff comes here he's going to be looking for Derek” Stiles glanced over at the alpha  
“It's a risk we'll have to take” Derek replied with a shrug “We have limited options”  
“So it's safe to assume that we're taking your car back to my place?” Lydia asked, Derek nodded, Lydia hummed and turned to Allison and Stiles “Ready to go?”  
“Derek, help me load up your car? I'm not leaving anything behind”  
“Sure”  
Stiles nodded at Allison and Lydia in turn and began to walk towards the door, Derek close behind him. Lydia turned back to Allison and took in the shy smile on the girls lips  
“You okay?” Lydia asked  
“Yeah”  
“Good” Lydia smiled and leant in to press a gentle kiss to Allison's lips, Allison's heart jumped as she leant into it “Come on, sooner we get to my place, the better”  
Allison blushes

  
“No, he hasn't said anything, you're sure you can't do anything?” he hears his mother ask  
“Chris Argent is convinced that Allison will appear by the end of the week, he says it's a common occurrence” the sheriff says  
Scott shifts closer to his bedroom door, the voices are coming from the living room, the sheriff had shown up ten minutes ago to give his mom an update, Scott eyed the open window, he wasn't sure he could handle another interrogation from the sheriff while his mom overlooks  
“Bullshit John” His mother snaps and that in itself is enough to make Scott startle, he doesn't think he's ever heard her swear before “I've known Allison since she was this big” There's a brief pause “After Victoria died I had as much as a part in raising those kids as Chris did. They were here constantly until that aunt of theirs showed up and even then they spent at least one day a week here!” she takes a few steps “I know Allison and Stiles almost as well as I know Scott, Allison isn't the type to run away”  
“Stiles and Lydia Martin weren't at school today” the sheriff replied  
His mom gave an exasperated sigh “Lydia's mother left town today for a vacation, apparently her daughters potential involvement in a missing girl doesn't make her list of important matters”  
“Melissa...” The sheriff responds with a dry laugh  
“John, please, a mother knows these things, there's something wrong with the twins and whatever it is Scott and Lydia are involved too, they're hiding something”  
“I have to take Chris' statement as key though Melissa, if he says that Allison has done things like this before I have to take it. I also have to assume that Stiles has gone to find her”  
“So what you're saying is, you're doing nothing?”  
“We're going to see if we can find his vehicle”  
Scott could feel the irritation and anger rolling off of his mother and for a split second, Scott was worried she would punch the sheriff in the face  
“Fine. Fine. But promise me one thing?” She said finally  
“Anything”  
“If they aren't back by the end of the week, you treat this as a missing persons, not a runaway”  
There was a lengthy silence before the sheriff sighed “Deal”  
“Looks like we're running out of time then” A voice sang from the window, Scott leapt to his feet, hand bracing himself against his door, turning to see Erica, Boyd and Isaac all near the window  
Scott felt himself relax, he didn't miss that Boyd and Erica were both wearing a different set of clothing  
“Yeah” He replied  
“Don't fuck with mama McCall” Erica muttered  
Scott laughed “That's my mom for you”  
“It's good, that she cares” Boyd said  
“Not for us though, it's adding more pressure” Erica replied, she walked over to Scott's bed and threw herself down onto it dramatically “You going to call Lydia?” she asks, tilting her head towards Scott  
“I don’t have much of a choice” Scot sighed  
“You didn't tell them about the text you received” Boyd pointed out causing Scott to freeze  
“You know about that?”  
“We heard you get a text, Derek and the others didn't mention it while we were there so we figured you hadn't told them” Erica explained  
“It was from the hunters, wasn't it?” Boyd asked with a sympathetic expression  
“Yeah” Scott nodded, leaning against the door “Some stupid metaphor about unstoppable forces...”  
“Then why not tell them?” Isaac asked  
“Because it threatened my mom too” Scott replied, looking over at the boy, he frowned slightly, Isaac looked incredibly pale, like he was seconds from throwing up, passing out or some combination of both “If the twins knew that she had been threatened....”  
“They would have given themselves up to the hunters” Boyd finished  
“They wouldn't even hesitate” Scott replied  
“So _that's_ the real reason you wanted us here” Erica rolled onto her back and stretched “To protect your mom”  
“Yeah, Derek and Lydia can look after Stiles and Allison, but I figured if four wolves were here, mom would be safe”  
“We've got your back McCall” Erica nodded, she turned to Boyd and Isaac “Right guys?” the pair nodded, Isaac, less enthusiastically, Scott wanted to ask if he was okay, if he was sick- until he remembered that werewolves can't get sick, he'd ask him later  
“Scott! Dinner in ten!” His mom called from downstairs  
“I'm coming!” He called back, Scott turned to the other wolves “Will you guys be okay?”  
“We came prepared” Erica waved a hand towards Boyd who lifted a bag of take out “We'll even eat on the roof so your room doesn't smell of burgers”  
“I appreciate that”  
“Yeah yeah” Erica rolled her eyes “You should call Lydia and update her before it gets too late”  
“Too late?” Scott frowned  
“Lydia and Allison are probably going to want to get an early night, if you know what I mean” Erica waggled her eyebrows suggestively  
“No...?” Scott replied, feeling like he was missing a key piece of information  
“They'll probably be having sex, McCall” Erica sighed  
“What? But they aren't-” Scott cut himself off, thinking back to earlier outside the Hale house “Are they?”  
“Oh they are” Erica grinned  
“When?”  
Boyd shrugged “Today”  
“I...I didn't even notice...” Scott had been so caught in his panic of almost seeing Boyd and Erica die, in getting back to his mother, he had completely overlooked the two girls  
“Don't beat yourself up about it McCall, they've practically been together during this entire thing anyway” Erica said dismissively, Scott can't help but laugh  


“We've been backed into a corner” Stiles sighed heavily once Lydia hung up on Scott, Allison desperately wanted to ease the tension In Lydia's shoulders, to stop her from her pacing and make her sit down with them  
“We'll figure something out” Lydia replied, phone still clutched tightly in her hand “We can't let you both go to the hunters, I can't let them hurt you again” Lydia stopped suddenly and focused her gaze on Allison “I'll kill them before they hurt you again”  
“If we kill them, they'll send more after us” Derek replied, he looked almost as tense as Lydia did  
“What if...” Stiles began, Allison tore her gaze from Lydia to stare at her brother on the other side of the sofa  
“What if what?” Lydia asked, Allison felt her walk and come to a stop by Allison, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder, Allison took advantage of the situation by reaching over and easing Lydia's other hand open and taking the phone from her before it snapped in her grip, Lydia squeezed her shoulder to show that the gesture hadn't gone unnoticed  
“What if I killed them? Allison too, but... I don't think you want to do that” He looked up from his hands to Allison  
“I don't want to kill, Stiles” Allison replied  
“I know, but if you had to?”  
“If it meant protecting the people I love” Allison nodded, she had almost shot her father that night in the woods for Lydia, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again  
“When we were at Scott's while Allison was being held, you said you would kill them all” Derek stepped forward  
“It's not a declaration of war if we were to do it” Stiles turned in his seat so he was face to face with Allison  
“It's murder” Lydia replied “If you kill the lackies they'll just send more”  
Stiles held up a hand “Who said anything about killing the lackies?” he asked “I mean yeah, that guy with the joker face is going to get a bullet for the threats he made against Allison-” Lydia growled lightly at Cocky's mention, Allison covered the hand on her shoulder with her own “But they aren't the target”  
Realisation swept over Allison “Gerard is”  
“Precisely”  
“It's still murder, Stiles” Allison sighed  
“After what he did to you, it's justified” Stiles replied “Chris too. If they die and we get arrested we can claim self defence, you know that”  
Allison closed her eyes and took slow, measured breaths, pushing down the images flashing to the surface “I know”  
“I'm sorry, but how would killing them fix our problem? There's an entire team of hunters here” Derek said  
“Gerard controls them, he's the leader” Allison explained  
“We kill him, Chris takes control”  
“We kill Chris-”  
“You two are in control” Lydia finished  
Stiles and Allison nod “Exactly” Stiles replied “Technically, Allison would be in charge because the Argent's apparently operated on a matriarchy, but they seem to have given up on that rule....”  
“So you become the head of a hunter family-”  
“Send the hunters away, threaten to kill them if they or any other hunter, dares come near Beacon Hills again” Stiles folds his arms across his chest “We end the hunter line here. We aren't hunters and there will never be another Argent hunter on this side of the globe again”  
There was a tense silence as everybody thought Stiles' words over, Allison didn't want to kill, but she would be lying if a part of her hadn't let the thought cross her mind, making them all pay for causing so much hurt  
“You could still go to jail for murder Stiles, regardless of your justification in killing your father and grandfather” Derek replied  
“It would be worth it, they deserve so much worse than death for what they've done” Stiles gritted out and Allison knew he wasn't just talking about the way they treat wolves  
“Scott won't go for this” Allison said after a minute  
“Scott isn't an alpha” Lydia replied immediately “He'll have to suck it up”  
“We're really going to kill them?” Allison asked, looking to Stiles. Stiles reached over and took one of her hands between both of his  
“I don't think we have much of a choice, do you?” he asked  
“...No, no I don't” Allison sighed  
“I'll do it, I’m okay with doing it”  
“When?” Derek asked  
Stiles looked over to the alpha “When we go back to them, let them think they've won. I still have a gun, it only takes two shots”  
Derek nodded “We'll have to discuss it with the pack tomorrow, if this means you both have to go in alone, then we're going to be nearby to back you up”  
“So that's it? Just like that? We're going to take out Gerard and Chris?” Allison asked  
“It seems that way” Lydia replied “Are you okay?”  
Allison nodded slightly “I... I'm going to need some time, but yeah, yeah I’m okay”  
“Bad timing to ask, but can you show me where the spare room is? I'm still crashing from sleep deprivation” Stiles spoke up  
“I'll go throw these out” Derek gathered up the leftovers from dinner, Allison eyed them with a frown, they really needed a home cooked meal at some point, they couldn't keep living on take out  
“I'll help” Allison said, already reaching for her and Stiles' empty cans of soda  
“Come on Stiles, I’ll show you to the spare room, you okay with the sofa Derek?” Lydia asked  
“If anything it's an upgrade” Derek replied  


“Am I crossing a line if I ask what it was you told Stiles earlier?” Derek asked, Allison froze for a moment and turned to the alpha, watching as he casually continued to walk, when he didn't look back at her she realised he was trying to make it easier for her, it was his style. If he wasn't looking at her, it meant that she had no obligation to tell him anything  
She's thankful for it  
“He branded me, Gerard. He branded me with the fleur de lis” The muscles in Derek's arms tightened as his fists clenched “I understand why Stiles wants him dead” “Yeah” Allison sighed “Chris is worst though” “Why?”  
“Because he let that happen to you” Derek replied “If I were your brother, I would want to kill them too” He turned to Allison and held her gaze “I would kill them now if I could”  
“Thanks... I think” Allison's brow furrowed, Derek matched her expression “I'm still getting used to having people threaten to kill the people who've hurt me as a strange form of compliment”  
Derek's lips twitched of their own accord and he turned away before Allison could actually see him smile  
“Lydia is good for you, you're being sarcastic again”  
Allison rolled her eyes, but smiled, he was right after all  
  
  
“So you're going to kill him?” Lydia asked, she opened the door to the spare room and walked over to where the spare blankets were kept  
“He's not going to get away with what he did to her” Stiles replied, he set his bags down on the bed and turned to Lydia, “Chris too, they're both going to suffer for hurting her”  
Lydia grabbed the closest blanket and held it to her chest “Good, one of us needs to do it”  
“I don't have to have the talk though, do I?”  
“What?” Lydia frowned  
“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you”  
“I know you will. I'll welcome it”  
Stiles shook his head lightly “Good to know” He pulled the gun out of his bag and checked it before setting it down on the bedside table “We both want to protect her, you're a territorial as hell werewolf and I’m her brother, we're not going to see eye to eye all of the time”  
Lydia hummed her agreement, before she had a chance to reply Stiles continued speaking  
“But I know you'll do anything and everything to keep her safe when I can't. So we have that much in common”  
“For Allison” Lydia replied  
Stiles smiled “For Allison”  
“Speaking of....” Lydia turned her head towards the door, a moment later there was a hesitant knock before the door was being pushed open “Hey”  
“Hey Alli”  
Allison offered a small wave “Sorry... Stiles, did you bring my bag in?”  
Stiles gestured to the bag closest to the edge of the bag “Sorry, forgot”  
Allison smiles as she walks over to pick the bag up, faltering when she catches sight of the blanket in Lydia's arms  
“It's for Derek” She says by way of explanation  
“Right” Allison nods, she takes a step back, like she's backing out of the room when Stiles cuts her off  
“Alli, wait.” Allison pauses and stares at Stiles as he rummages through a bag, he comes up with a knife and spins it in his hand once before holding it out to Allison “I know you'll be sleeping with a wolf and everything... But keep it, for me?”  
Allison blushed as she took the knife, setting it on top of her bag “I'm gonna go get changed” She lifted her head to look at Stiles “I'll see you in the morning”  
Stiles gave Allison a smirk that only made Allison blush harder, Lydia feels like she's missing on an inside joke or something of that level  
“Yeah, goodnight Alli”  
Allison fled from the room before Lydia could speak to her, she turned to Stiles questioningly, half expecting to see that smirk again, instead he was staring at her intently  
“Take care of her”  
Lydia frowned, but nodded nonetheless “Of course”  
She should really take the blanket to Derek first  


"I thought the idea of us being here was so we could take it in turns keeping watch?" Erica slid up beside Scott, her voice pitched low enough as to not disturb the two other wolves propped up against one another in the corner of the room "you should be sleeping"   
Scott shrugged, it's not like he planned on sleeping tonight, he doubts that he could even if he wanted to. The two stood in silence for a long while, both leaning against the window and staring up at the stars, Scott listens to his mother downstairs, he can hear the TV on but he knows his mom well enough to know that she only has it on to fill the silence, she's far to distracted to be paying attention to whatever crappy show playing in the background  
"The moon is soon" Erica said after a while  
"Yeah" he turned to Erica "you nervous?"  
Erica puffed out her chest "please, I've got this"  
"But?"  
Erica's smirk faltered, she glanced over to Boyd and Isaac "but with the hunters around, I'm concerned over how well we would handle it"  
Scott nodded, his first moon was hard enough as it was, he can still remember the way the handcuffs dug into his wrist, Stiles and Allison sat across from the room with wide eyes. He can still remember the way he could hear the blood pumping around their bodies, he remembers the way he wanted to sink his teeth in and _bite_.  
When Lydia had turned he didn't want the twins involved in that, he didn't want Lydia to experience that, Lydia needed to be away from the twins, away from people. All in all Lydia had handled it incredibly well, all growling and flashing eyes aside of course  
"Derek's going to help you all" Scott replied "you're his betas, he isn't going to sit back and make you go through it alone" Erica huffed "do you have an anchor?" Scott asked  
"Yeah, I think so" Erica sighed, for the first time since she had been turned, Scott saw genuine vulnerability in the girl, he knows that after tonight, Erica would probably deny this entire conversation transpired, and Scott would let her. "Boyd too, I think" Erica continues, "but Isaac..." They both turn to the boy  
"Is that why he looks so sick? He's scared?"  
"Maybe. But I think he's just shaken up by what happened to me and Boyd, we're his only friends y'know?"  
And Scott does know, for his entire life Stiles and Allison had been his only friends, now he has a tentative relationship with Lydia that was originally born from the shared experience of having their entire lives torn apart and having the twins there to help build them back up  
"Maybe we could be friends?" Scott suggested "after all this?"  
Erica laughed quietly and reached over to slap Scott on the back "we'll see McCall, we'll see" she sobered up after a few moments "You know, it's funny"  
Scott frowned "what is?"  
"I spent so much time telling Argent to just admit her feelings and get it over with, when I can't even take my own advice"  
"What are you-" Scott begins, he follows her eyes across the room until they're both watching a sleeping Boyd "oh"  
Erica laughs "yeah, _oh_ " she sighs  
"Is he your anchor?"  
Erica offers a tight lipped smile "what's yours?"  
"It was the twins"  
Erica nods, she doesn't press the matter any further and Scott is all the more thankful for it

 

Lydia stepped into the bedroom with a quiet sigh, closing the door behind her, Derek had given her a look as she had set the blanket down on the end of the sofa and told her to 'keep the noise down'. Lydia turned to look around the room, the bathroom door was closed and Lydia could hear the tap running. Lydia sets about gathering up her pyjamas and changing quickly, listening to Allison's heartbeat the entire time. Lydia couldn't understand why her heart was beating so rapidly, why her scent was slightly shot with nerves.  
Once dressed in sleep shorts and an old shirt, Lydia was left with nothing to do but look around her room, her eyes fell on the dagger on her dresser, Lydia reached over and gripped the cold metal in her hand, their was a ring at the end of the weapon and Lydia couldn't help but wonder if Allison was as skilled with a blade as she is with her bow. Lydia paces the room, attempting (and failing) to spin it between her fingers. Lydia quickly gave up that idea and set the weapon down before she could hurt herself, werewolf healing or not, there was no need for unnecessary bloodshed  
"It's a Chinese ring dagger"  
Lydia jumps, she hadn't even heard the tap shut off, let alone the bathroom door open "you scared me" Lydia admits  
Allison laughs "didn't think I'd ever hear that from a werewolf"  
"It doesn't happen often, especially when you're considered"  
Allison's brow furrowed in confusion  
"Your heart" Lydia gestures "I listen to it, a lot" she explains, eyes taking in Allison's own pyjamas, some plaid shorts and a grey tank top, she feels her throat dry up  
"You do?" Allison asked, when Lydia nods Allison smiled and steps closer "what does it sound like now?"  
Lydia reached up and pressed her hand to Allison's chest, she could feel it beat against her hand and actually increase at the touch "it's racing" Lydia replied "are you nervous?"  
Allison pulled her teeth between her lip "yeah"  
"Why?" Lydia asked softly  
In lieu of an actual answer Allison closed the already scarce distance between them and pressed her lips to Lydia's, Lydia felt her back connect with the door, her hands gripping onto Allison's biceps for support. Allison runs her tongue over Lydia's lower lip and Lydia doesn't even hesitate in opening her mouth against Allison's and swallows the gasp from Allison's throat, Lydia's hands slipped under the straps of the tank top, thumbing over Allison's bra strap before sliding gently over Allison's back. Lydia abruptly realises that Allison's tank top has left a good amount of skin exposed, it's the first time she's so openly displayed the brand, she's been hiding it since the day she got back from wherever it was Gerard held her.  
Lydia really wants to kiss her brand, wants to cover Allison in lip shaped bruises, her wolf wants to take away the marks Gerard left and replace them with marks of her own, marks made with love  
Lydia felt a low rumbling in her throat, Allison pulled away with kiss swollen lips  
"Did you just growl?" Allison asked breathlessly  
"Maybe" Lydia replied, she leant in and slowly dragged her tongue from Allison's collarbone, up along the column of Allison's throat, feeling her wolf howl as Allison made a sound caught somewhere between a gasp and a cry which only fuelled Lydia's wolf, feeling her own pulse quicken, her fingers pressing into Allison's shoulders. Lydia moved back up to kiss Allison her teeth catching momentarily on Allison's lips drawing a sharp breath from the girl, the room felt like it was filling with heat. Lydia pushed on Allison, moving away from the door. She almost lifted Allison up, intent on throwing her down onto the bed but rational thought kicked in, remembering Allison's back and not wanting to cause the girl any unnecessary pain, instead, Lydia turned and walked backwards until she felt the back of her knees hit her bed, she fell back, pulling Allison down with her  
Lydia ran her hands over Allison's arms, her shoulders, her back and down her spine, pressing, urging Allison closer, she wanted to feel Allison everywhere, forever. She wanted Allison against her, under her, for as long as possible  
Allison kissed along Lydia's jaw, Lydia let her hands move to Allison's hips, feeling encouraged when Allison rolled them down into Lydia, Lydia's hands move up, gripping onto the tank top and holding Allison against her  
Allison reached the spot where her jaw met her ear and Lydia opened her eyes just to be able to see Allison's neck, bare and oh so markable, Lydia traced her neck to where it met shoulder and she felt herself throb, her wolf howl. Lydia barely registers her vision shift as she pulls on Allison's tank top, baring her teeth ready   
And then she feels the fabric tear under her fingertips  
The sound is enough to vault her back to reality  
“Allison- Stop” Lydia growls out, Allison breaks away and falls back with a startled sound, though she doesn't move from her place on Lydia's waist, even as Lydia sits up and tries to climb from the bed,  
Lydia feels hot all over, can't breathe. She looks at her hands, at the currently very sharp claws and the ribbons of fabric clinging to them. Panicked, she looks back up to Allison, who goes wide eyed upon seeing Lydia's face  
“Lydia-”  
“Are you hurt?” Lydia can't smell blood, she can't see blood and Allison doesn't seem to be in pain but her tank top is basically non existent   
“Lydia,” Allison grips her wrists carefully “you need to breathe”  
Lydia scrunches her eyes closed and runs her tongue over her teeth, realising her fangs were out and that she had probably caught Allison at least once with them, how had she completely overlooked the fact that she was shifting this entire time?  
“Lydia” Allison says again, one of the hands letting go of Lydia's wrist and coming to rest on her cheek “Look at me” Lydia keeps her eyes closed and tries to remember how to breathe until she feels Allison's thumb stroking her cheek “Don't hide your eyes from me, please” Lydia feels herself begin to relax as Allison moves closer, the hand on Lydia's face moving down until a finger is tracing her lips, the sharpness of her fangs, the other moving around to curl around the back of her neck as Allison wavers as she finds her balance, Lydia's hands reach out blindly to steady her, eyes snapping open and letting out a sound of relief upon finding her hands human once more.   
“There you are” Allison said, her voice warm with affection, Lydia lifted her head, her eyes meeting gentle brown  
“Allison...”  
“What happened? Was it me? Did I do something-”  
Lydia silenced Allison by reaching up and cupping her cheeks with both hands and pressing their foreheads together, she could see her own eyes reflecting in Allison's  
“It wasn't you, you didn't do anything”  
Allison audibly swallowed “Then what-”  
“It was my wolf” Lydia replied, she settled back against the headboard, finally feeling her teeth and eyes return to normal, she took a deep breath, she promised Derek she would tell Allison, she owed Allison the truth, but she couldn't do It and look at Allison, she just couldn't. “My wolf.... It's claimed you. It wants you to belong to us and nobody else, it- we. We want to kill anyone who hurts who, I hated It when you smelt like Derek or had Erica's lipstick smeared on your lips, I hate that Gerard hurt you and marked you. My wolf wants to mark you, to claim you as ours and I know that it goes against everything I said in the woods earlier, and if there was a way to break the claim I would. But I _can't_ ” Lydia clenched her fists at her sides “I've claimed you Allison” Lydia finishes.   
The silence stretches between them, there thundering heartbeats the only sound she can hear, she focuses on Allison's, how it hasn't changed much since their make out session came to an abrupt halt. Lydia was waiting for Allison to climb off of her, to go down to Stiles' room where her brother could protect her, to grab the dagger still resting on the bedside table and flee her  
She wasn't expecting Allison's hand to cup her chin and tilt her head until their eyes were forced to meet. She didn't expect to see warmth in those eyes and she certainly didn't expect for Allison to lean forward and give her a soft peck on the lips  
“I know” Allison whispered

  
  
"What's the deal with the phone?" Isaac asked  
Scott paused as he reached for a glass from the cabinet above and looked over his shoulder to where Isaac was tampering with the old phone "what do you mean?"  
Isaac gestured vaguely "the nine is stuck"  
"Yeah, you use the pen next to it" Scott set two glasses on the side and filled them with water  
"Why not buy a new phone?" Isaac asked, setting the headset down and moving slowly into the kitchen  
Scott shrugged "effort and money I guess, mom is the only one who users it"  
"No point when you have a cell phone, huh?" Isaac reached for the glass closest to them  
"Yeah, pretty much" Scott agreed. He watched Isaac carefully for a few moments, upstairs, his mother was asleep in her room, Boyd and Erica were sleeping soundly in his room. Scott closed his eyes for a moment, ignoring the burn around his eyes, the ache in his bones  
"I'm not sorry, you know"  
Scott opened his eyes slowly and met Isaac's gaze. Scott sipped his drink carefully, Isaac was staring at him intently, palms flat on the kitchen counter  
"What?" Scott asked, he already knew what Isaac was referring to, but he needed to hear the boys explanation, it would probably be the only chance he has to get into the boys mind  
"The things I said about sending Allison to the hunters, I don't regret it"  
"But _why_? You know they hurt her, they're just going to hurt her more if she goes back"  
"And today, you watched Boyd and Erica get hit by a car because she didn't listen to the warnings and go today his grip tightened around his glass "Boyd and Erica got hurt today because of her"  
"No," Scott's voice came out sharper than he intended "Boyd and Erica got hurt because of _hunters_. The twins are pack-"  
"No, they're not my pack, and I don't care what the others are saying, Derek is my alpha" Scott's brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth to ask but before he could, Isaac carried on "it sucks for the twins, I'll admit that much, its shitty that the twins got slapped around so much as kids and okay, Allison got tortured and stuff." Isaac leant forward against the counter "but she isn't my pack, they aren't my pack. And like you and Lydia, I'm going to protect my pack. We have more chance of surviving without them"  
Scott pushed his hand through his hair "Isaac, the hunters are going to kill us, with or without the twins, with the twins here we have good insight into the hunters next moves-"  
"With the twins here none of our loved ones are safe or do I have to remind you of our current situation"  
"I-"  
"Scott, you have the three of us here to protect your mother while the twins get to sleep easy with Derek and Lydia protecting them"  
"I wouldn't say they get to sleep easy" Scott replied with a frown, thinking about how Allison had cried in her sleep until Lydia had hugged her tight and stroked her hair until she had relaxed. It still didn't stop Allison from punching Lydia in the face in a blind panic when she had woken up  
"Either way" Isaac sighed "I'll protect my pack and you can protect the twins" he pushed away from the counter "but when it comes to it, they'll choose each other over you every time"  
Scott smiled and held Isaac's icy stare "they're brother and sister, twins." He stood up "I wouldn't expect anything less. They were born side by side and they'll fight side by side. They're my best friends and I'll always have their backs, Lydia too" Scott turned and began to walk towards the stairs "Me and Lydia are going to keep our friends safe, we're going to keep everyone safe and nobody is going to die"  
Scott made it halfway up the stairs before he heard Isaac huff a laugh.   
Scott didn't look back

 

Lydia stared up at Allison in shock “You... you know?”  
Allison nodded, one of her hands reaching for Lydia's “Yeah”  
Lydia sat up fully, one arm slinging around Allison's waist and lifting her off of her and setting er down beside her with ease. She caught a glimpse of Allison's confused expression as she practically leapt from the bed  
“Where are you going?” Allison asked  
Lydia shook her head, “I don't know, I’ll go... sleep in my moms room” she turned away and began to walk to the door when she felt Allison's hand close around her wrist. Lydia stilled immediately, eyes cast downward  
“Don't leave Lydia please” and there was that tone in Allison's voice, the one that left Lydia utterly helpless, she was a werewolf, power ran through her veins. But none of that mattered so long as Allison was involved. Allison and Allison alone held this much power over her  
“How did you know?” Lydia asked  
There was a beat of silence and a tugging on her arm and Lydia soon found herself sat back down on the edge of the bed, Allison kneeling behind her  
“...Yesterday, I was reading the bestiary.... I saw a page titled 'Revendication'” Allison sifted back slightly and Lydia missed the warmth of her touch immediately “It means 'claim' there was an entire page about werewolves claiming ownership over humans and...” She blew out an long breath that reached the back of Lydia's neck “It sounded so... so _wrong_ ”  
Lydia stiffened, she was wrong, she knew the claim was wrong “I.. I'm sorry” she moved to stand, Allison's hands grabbing her shoulders and pushing, keeping Lydia down on the bed. Lydia knew she could overpower Allison easily, even without her wolf, there was no real force behind Allison's gesture  
“So I asked Derek about it” Allison continued “He told me the truth”  
Lydia dug her nails into her knees “And what's that?”  
“He didn't explain it to you?”  
Lydia could feel her arms shaking from how tight her muscles were coiled “Not in so much detail past saying that it isn't a bad thing”  
“And you didn't question that?” Allison asked  
Lydia blew out a slow breath “Not in so many words, no. I was more concerned about how it would affect you”  
She felt Allison move again, shuffling until her chest was pressed against Lydia's back, arms wrapping around her chest and holding her close  
“Of course you were” Allison replied, cheek pressing into the back of Lydia's neck “Lydia” She sighed “Wolves mate for life”  
Lydia closed her eyes “But you're not a wolf”  
“No, I’m not. But _you_ are. Your wolf wants to be with me for as long as we both live-”  
“For as long as I live” Lydia interrupted “Even if something happened to you, the claim would stay in place”  
“I love you Lydia. I love you and your wolf, I wouldn't love one without the other...”  
Lydia felt her wolf stir and her heart clench, Lydia turned quickly making Allison falter, Lydia cupped her cheek with one hand and moved in close, Allison visibly swallowed “Your wolf claimed me, your wolf loves me”  
“I love you” Lydia replied  
“I love you too”  
“You know there's more though, right?” Lydia asked “I'm so protective... territorial over you”  
Allison smiled and bumped their foreheads together “How do you think I figured out you claimed me?”  
“Derek didn't tell you?” Lydia pulled back with a frown  
Allison smiled “Of course not”  
Lydia was quiet for a moment as she thought “So... You're okay with the claim?”  
Allison closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth  
“Yes, yeah, I’m okay with it”  
Lydia let her hand migrate to the back of Allison's neck, the other gently wrapping around her shoulders and easing Allison down against the bed, climbing up with her and kissing her.  
Lydia broke the kiss and pulled back, watching the rise and fall of Allison's chest through the torn material of her tank top, the way her hair had fanned out against the pillows  
“I'm not going to have sex with you tonight Allison” Lydia said  
“Lydia-” Allison sat up  
“I want to, believe me. I really, _really_ want to...” Allison blushed and Lydia's hands moved over the torn fabric “But I could have hurt you earlier. I almost bit you...”  
“You wouldn't hurt me” Allison replied immediately  
“But I almost did...” Lydia sighed, it took no effort to pull on the left over tank top, the rest of the shirt coming away easily. Allison's breath hitched as Lydia trailed a hand along her stomach “I can't add to your pain”  
“It's different with you though” Allison breathed falling back against the pillows. Lydia barely spared the dark bra a second glance, more focused on the wounds covering her body. Lydia dragged a palm over the cuts, she shuffled down the bed so she could press her lips to one of the more healed wounds on her ribs, she felt Allison's body tense “Gerard did it to hurt me, to make me suffer” Lydia kisses her way along as many of them as possible “You wouldn't hurt me like that”  
“Never” Lydia mumbled against Allison's skin  
“Your wolf just wants to mark me as yours” Her hands slip into Lydia's hair, holding her close “That just happens to be through biting me”  
“It doesn't have to be” Lydia whispered, moving up to Allison's collarbone, and then her neck, punching a gasp from the girl underneath her as she sucked gently at the skin where Allison's pulse jumped. Her wolf felt relaxed at last “Allison?” Lydia detached herself from Allison's neck to look down at the girl  
Allison opened her eyes “Yeah?”  
“Why didn't you tell me? That you knew?” she ran her thumb over the light bruise she had left on Allison's neck   
“You didn't push about the brand, I didn't want to push you”  
Lydia nodded slowly and leant down once more, nuzzling her cheek against Allison's neck   
“Are you cold?” Lydia asked  
“A little” Allison replied   
“I'm sorry about your shirt”  
“It's okay, it was nothing special”   
“I'll get you another-” Lydia went to move  
“No, not yet” Allison cut her off “Just let us stay like this for a few more minutes”  
Lydia turned her head so her lips were against Allison's neck “Okay”

  
Lydia settled down opposite Allison on the bed, Allison now wearing one of Lydia's old sleep shirts (she suspects part of the whole claim deal includes always smelling like Lydia, she's totally okay with that) Lydia had switched off the lights before she had sat down, her knees brushing against Allison's, she could barely make out the girl in front of her, but Lydia found her hand easily, pressing the palms together “Lydia?”  
“Yeah?”  
“What's it like? To be a wolf?”  
Lydia's fingers slip between Allison's and Allison follows suit until their hands are locked and held aloft between them  
“Powerful” Lydia replies eventually “Terrifyingly powerful” Lydia sighs “Like, to know that there's a beast inside of me and at any moment I could snap and tear somebody's throat out with my teeth if they piss me off or hurt you” her grip tightens on Allison's hand for the briefest of moments, Allison squeezes back “It's a kind of power I don't think I ever wanted, but now it's here-”  
“You can't live without it”  
“Exactly”  
“Does it scare you?” Allison asked, she pushed up onto her knees and shuffled into Lydia's lap, Lydia's free hand looping around Allison's waist to hold her steady  
“Sometimes” Lydia answered without hesitation “It's like an itch that I can't scratch, something powerful just under my skin and it wants to break free, it rarely stops, it feels like... Like a rope being pulled too tight and any minute it's going to snap and fill me”  
Allison's eyes had finally adjusted to the dark enough to realise that Lydia's eyes were closed, that they had probably been closed the entire time  
“You have amazing control, Lydia”  
“Unless you're at risk” Lydia replied “I lost it when you were in trouble, but you ground me better than anything else too, your touch brings me down”  
A sense of realisation seemed to dawn on Allison, “Lydia...”  
“You're my anchor, Allison” Lydia sighed “You didn't start out as it, my anchor was my future success but now... It's you”  
“Lydia... Open your eyes”  
Lydia complied, her eyes shining gold in the darkness, Allison leant forward and dropped a kiss to Lydia's lips, pausing for a moment to suck on Lydia's bottom lip, she felt Lydia shift them until Allison was lying on top of Lydia, arms braced on either side of her  
“Lydia, promise me one thing?”  
“Anything”  
“Don't hide your eyes from me, ever. I love your eyes Lydia”  
“I promise” Lydia whispered  
“Gold is a good colour on you Lydia” Allison replied, nuzzling down against Lydia's chest

 

“You should sleep” Boyd sat beside him, Scott was typing up some left over work for his English paper, the light from the screen hurt his eyes, but it helped to keep him awake  
“It'll be morning in a few hours, there's no point”  
“It's okay Scott, I’ve got this” Boyd reached over to flick off the monitor, the room fell into darkness  
Scott sighed and pushed away from his desk, Erica had claimed his entire bed, Isaac had his back pressed against the side of it, fast asleep  
“I heard you and Isaac talking earlier” Boyd said, Scott turned to him “You know his opinions are not the same opinions that me and Erica share, right?”  
“Yeah” Scott nodded, “You've had our back from the start, Erica... slightly less so cause of the whole kissing and biting Allison-”  
“In Erica's defence... She was trying to find out where Lydia's affections lay”  
“She could have just asked...”  
“Not really her style” Boyd replied, shooting a fond smile over in her direction, Scott couldn't help but smile too  
“We aren't pack”  
“No, we're not. But if Derek and Lydia can work together, if Derek trusts Allison and Stiles. Then that's enough for me”  
“Someone is going to end up hurting Isaac if he keeps behaving in the way that he is”  
“I know, and I’m sorry on his behalf for the things that he said”  
“Thank you”  
“You should still sleep, Scott. It's been a long day, I’ll take the reigns from her”  
“Thank you, Boyd”  
Boyd nodded and moved over to the window, Scott listened in on his mothers steady heartbeat for a moment before curling up in his chair and closing his eyes  
Things would be better tomorrow  


 

She feels like she's drowning, her lungs are full and she tries to call out but she can't. Allison feels like she's being held under, a pressure growing on her arm until she's sure the bone will snap under it's holders grip  
She sees Kate with her smile too bright anyone would have thought she had just been shopping, not throwing Allison around the room until Stiles has to be the one to pull her up and drag her upstairs  
She sees Chris, barking words at them until Allison and Stiles can respond with the definition on reflex alone. _Scorched Earth, overwatch, no quarter, investment, coup de_ _grâce._ Standing over them until they can assemble a gun in under five minutes, four minutes, three minutes....  
Blistered and bloodied hands, razor sharp wire cutting through flesh, pulling and holding. Stiles' horrified face. Stiles' dark eyes  
Gerard holding the brand  
Cocky walking closer  
Allison is drowning  
She can't breath  
She can't  
“Shit, Allison?”  
She sees a flash of red in the distance and the press of something sharp at her neck  
“Allison!”  
Allison's eyes shoot open, panicked at the darkness around her, she feels movement around her and the light beside her comes to life, Lydia is in front of her, mumbling words Allison can't make out through the haze in her ears, she registers the hand in her hair, soft and comforting but she also feels the sting of tears in her eyes  
“Breathe”  
Breathe, right, she could do that.  
Allison shook her head, she couldn't, she couldn't remember how, her chest felt heavy Lydia kisses her. Her lips firm against Allison's and everything _stops_ . Her body freezes. Lydia keeps her lips against Allison's for a few more seconds before pulling away quickly  
Allison takes a sharp gasp of air and it feels like a punch to the gut, she doubles over and takes another breath. Lydia's hand rubbing at the back of her neck the entire time  
Eventually the words begin to register  
“You're okay, it's okay, just keep breathing”  
Lydia repeats her actions for the next five minutes until all Allison feels is a dull ache in her bones and the chill from the cold. Realising this, Lydia pulls the blankets up and wraps them around them both  
“Are you okay?” Lydia asked  
Allison shook her head “Nightmares, flashbacks...”  
Lydia pulls Allison close “I've got you”  
“You kissed me” Allison whispered  
“I read somewhere that it would work”  
“It did, it really did”  
Lydia holds Allison for a while longer, the images slowly fading from Allison's memory as she focuses on the sound of Lydia's heart against her chest  
“Allison, can I turn the lights off?”  
“Yes”  
Lydia complied, she reached over to switch the lights off before finally pulling Allison back down against the bed, they stayed on their sides, Allison wrapping her arms around Lydia. Lydia kissed her softly before hooking her chin over Allison's head.  
She felt herself relax and she knew what she had to do, there was still so much Allison needed to tell Lydia, and okay, she should probably talk to Stiles first before making such an admission to Lydia  
But she can't keep waiting, it's eating her up inside and the longer they go without talking about it the harder it's going to be to talk about it  
“Lydia?”  
“Yeah?”  
Allison swallowed “I need to tell you something”  
“Okay”  
“But I don't want to talk about it beyond what I’m about to say”  
“I won't force you, Allison, you know that”  
Allison nodded against Lydia's chest, her hands dug into Lydia's shirt as she took a shaky breath  
It was now or never  
Lydia kissed the top of her head encouragingly and Allison found the confidence to finally say the words  
“We were abused”  
There was a long pause, but eventually Lydia hugged Allison tighter and didn't let go, not even when Allison felt herself eventually succumbing to sleep  
“I love you Allison” Lydia whispered as Allison felt her eyes flutter shut


	10. You can run but you'll never escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott hung up first, staring at the screen for a moment longer  
> To hell with subtlety, he needed to know how Allison broke that arm. He needed to hear Allison confirm it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from 'Shadow Moses' by Bring me the Horizon

Lydia had been awake for the past hour, she was amazed that she had even managed to sleep with everything that had happened the night before. She still can't believe that Allison had known about the claim, that Allison was so accepting of it  
Allison had told her she had been abused. That she and Stiles had been abused  
Lydia looked at the sleeping figure, she hated that the only time Allison looked peaceful and even then it was often interrupted by nightmares  
Lydia cupped Allison's cheek, stroking a thumb over the bone  
How anybody could hurt this girl, Lydia would never understand, much less Allison or Stiles as a child and _God_ was Victoria a part of it too?  
Allison shuffled closer to her in her sleep, hands still fisted into Lydia's shirt. Lydia wouldn't have been able to move even if she had wanted to  
Allison was curled up against her, legs tangled together and Lydia wishes they could stay like this. Allison is safe here with her  
There's a tentative knock at the door and Lydia sighed, Allison moved closer, forehead pressing against Lydia's chest  
"Allison? Lydia?" Stiles called quietly  
"Yeah?" Lydia lifted he head to look over her shoulder at the door  
The door opened softly, Stiles' head peered around it, hair a mess "Did I wake you both?"  
"Allison's still sleeping" Lydia replied  
"Oh, good..."  
Lydia heard his stomach rumble and rolled her eyes "help yourself to the kitchen, don't break anything"  
"Thank you" he closed the door quickly and she listened to him move down the stairs to the kitchen  
Lydia let her head rest back down onto the pillow, brushing her nose against Allison's hair and breathing in her scent  
"You know, I smell better with a shower" Allison mumbled against her chest  
Lydia smiled "You smell perfect already" Allison hummed in response "how do you do that?"  
"Do what?" Allison asked  
"Wake up without me noticing"  
"You were talking to Stiles" Allison gave a vague shrug with one shoulder "did he want food?"  
"Yeah, how did you know?"  
Allison pulled away and rolled onto her back, brow furrowing and Lydia could sense a flash of pain "twin thing" she replied. Lydia slipped a hand under Allison's back, body tensing for a moment as she takes the girls pain  
"You're hungry too aren't you?"  
Allison opened her eyes and smiled "Yeah, and you didn't have to do that"  
"Yes, I did" Lydia sat up and pushed the hair from Allison's face "I don't like you hurting"  
"It's okay, it hardly hurts any more"  
"I wish you wouldn't hurt at all" Lydia whispered  
Allison reached up to grab Lydia's left arm, pulling on Lydia until she was stretched carefully over Allison's body, hovering just above her and not wanting to put pressure on the girl underneath her  
"Lydia... About last night, what I told you..."  
"You don't have to say anything Allison, you know that right?"  
"I want to, but-"  
"Stiles?"  
Allison sighed, eyes closing "Stiles"  
"That's okay, Allison you're okay. Whenever you're ready, I'm here okay?"  
Allison nodded, hand stroking at her wrist and staring up at Lydia  
"Kiss me?" Allison asked  
Lydia complied, leaning down to press their lips together, kissing her softly and feeling Allison's hands move into her hair and keeping her in place. She kissed until Allison had to break away, breathless  
"Do you want breakfast?" Lydia asked "Stiles is probably burning down my kitchen as we speak"  
"He's actually pretty good at cooking" Allison replied "but can we stay like this? Just a few more minutes?"  
Lydia smiled and kissed Allison again and tucked her head against Allison's neck "Sure, a few more minutes"

  
  


"What's the matter with you?" Stiles asked. He had spent the last ten minutes trying to understand how Lydia's coffee machine had worked until Derek had intervened and taken care of it within minutes. The wolf looked grumpier than usual "Did you overhear things that I don't wish to go into more detail about because this is my sister we're talking about"  
Derek found four mugs and filled them all, leaving room for cream in the other three and grabbing the fourth in one hand  
"Why won't you talk about your childhood?" Derek asked, Stiles faltered as he reached for one of the mugs  
"No offence, but it's got nothing to do with you" Stiles muttered  
"No offence." Derek growled "But the main reason Allison hasn't told anybody about the majority of the nightmares in her mind is because she doesn't want to spill anything about your childhood"  
Stiles clenched his jaw and focused his attention on the mug now in his hands, so Allison must have said something to Lydia that Derek would have overheard. But honestly he was expecting Lydia to be the one to confront him  
"It still has nothing to do with you"  
Derek growled quietly and began to walk past him and out of the kitchen "At this rate, you're going to get in the way of her recovery. I hope you know that"  
"What about me?" Stiles snapped "what about my recovery?!"  
"I get it Stiles" Derek turned back to him with a snarl "but you don't seem to want help, you won't ask for help. Allison does, she's trying and she wants help but she loves you so god damn much she's willing to put everything on hold for you. Think about that."  
Stiles turned to follow him out of the room, freezing when he sees Lydia standing in the doorway because holy shit how long has she been there?  
"Lydia-"  
"I don't want to hear it Stiles" she sighed, walking past him "any more than I already have" she adds  
"Where's Allison?" Stiles asked  
"Shower" Lydia replied, "she'll be down in a minute"  
Stiles watched her move around the room, she grabbed a box of cereal from a cupboard and set it down. Derek moved so he was leaning against the wall by the door  
"So what's the plan Lydia?" Derek asked  
"We wait for Allison and talk it over breakfast" Lydia replied easily "we do nothing without her input"  
Stiles nodded slowly and leant against the counter "Lydia, are you going to-"  
"Tell Allison about this entire conversation as soon as I'm alone with her?" Lydia looks at him from over her shoulder "yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do"  
"Seriously?" Stiles sighed  
"Seriously. I'm not hiding anything from her. Ever." Lydia added with a snarl  
"Can you guys not fight?" Allison asked quietly, Stiles span to face her, taking in the still wet hair and the definitely Lydia clothes she's wearing  
"Allison!" Stiles greeted   
"I love you Stiles and I love you too Lydia." She turned to Derek and rubbed the back of her neck "Derek, you're cool" Derek raised an eyebrow "but please stop fighting, what me and Stiles went through was terrible and awful and I want to tell you Lydia but I can't do that without Stiles' agreement"  
"I know" Lydia replied "you know that I'll respect that"  
Allison turned to Derek "but you can't pressure Stiles into talking about it, even if you are doing it to try and help me"  
Derek held her gaze for a few moments, glancing at Stiles and then looking to Lydia for a long while before sliding his gaze back to Allison and nodding  
"Okay, I'm sorry"  
Allison nodded and walked further into the room, pausing at Stiles' side and placing a hand on his arm, smiling gently  
"Hey"  
"Hey yourself" Stiles muttered "you seem cheerful this morning"  
"Yeah, considering that our family want us dead, we're on the run from the sheriff and now we're placing to go back home to kill our father and grandfather." Allison finished with a shrug, her hand left Stiles' as she moved past and headed towards Lydia and grabbed the mug from the counter. Stiles watched Allison press into her side, head falling into Lydia's shoulder  
"I still don't really support this idea" Lydia said, one hand coming around to press at the small of Allison's back to keep her in place  
"But it's all that we have" Stiles replied "if I kill them then the other hunters have no viable grounds to kill any of you then"  
"We still need to speak to the rest of my pack" Derek spoke up "Scott too"  
"Scott won't go for it, I don't need to be a mind reader to tell you that" Stiles sighed  
"We'll figure it out, should we call them? Organise a time and place?" Lydia suggested  
"Okay" Allison agreed, pulling away from Lydia slightly "...But I need to talk to Stiles first"  
Stiles stiffened "is everything okay?"  
Allison looked to Lydia and leant in to kiss her softly, Lydia's eyes scanned Allison's face and nodded. Allison turned to Stiles and leant back against the girl "okay so there's this thing called the claim..."

 

"So, we're meeting them at the house?" Boyd asked  
"Where else?" Erica asked, stretching along the bed  
Scott frowned at his phone and slipped it into his pocket, Erica seemed to catch this and sat up, watching him carefully  
"What's wrong?" She asked  
Scott listened to his mom, she was walking around downstairs, messing around in the kitchen  
"I'm worried that she'll go looking for Chris" Scott admitted "and she'll know if I skip school"  
"Well she has a shift at the hospital first, right?" Isaac asked  
Scott nodded, she did, he could hear her grab her keys from the counter, but he also knew that she was only there for a few hours. That she would be going grocery shopping immediately after and he knew his mom well enough that she wouldn't wait for the sheriff to treat Allison as a missing person and take matters entirely into her own hands to find the twins herself  
"Well, we'll go talk to the others, see what they have planned" Boyd said, smiling encouragingly  
"What do you think it is?" Isaac asked  
"Knowing the twins? Something insane and militaristic" Erica shrugged  
"Scott!" His mom called, Scott looked to the other wolves, Erica got off of the bed and moved towards the window, gesturing to the door with one hand  
"Go, we'll meet you at the house"  
Scott nodded, grabbing his backpack from his chair "Stay safe you guys" he said  
"Yeah, try not to get hit by any cars" Isaac replied  
Scott ran down the stairs, jumping the last two and finding his mom by the front door, keys gripped in one hand, coffee in the other  
"I'm going to work, make sure you get to class on time okay?" She said  
"Sure, of course"  
"And when you speak to the twins, make sure to tell them that we're looking for them"  
"What? I'm not-"  
"Don't lie to me Scott" his mom sighed "you're not very good at it"  
She left the house before he could try and respond, guilt making itself known. Surely he can't be that much of a bad liar? He is a werewolf after all and she doesn't know about that  
It's not worth thinking about right now, he needs to get to Derek's

 

"You going to tell us this plan you have?" Erica asked  
Stiles and Allison shared a look, Stiles shook his head slightly  
"We should wait for Scott" Allison replied. Erica rolled her eyes before focusing her gaze on Allison and she swears she she's the girl sniff  
"Hm... Surprising"  
Allison frowned "what is?" she asked  
"You two have been dancing around one another for so long and then you finally get together and you don't have sex?" She laughed  
Allison stiffened, feeling a blush rising to her cheeks and Lydia was by her side, rolling her eyes at the blonde  
"Stay classy, Reyes" Allison sighed  
Erica held her hands up in surrender "I'm just saying, we could all be dead God only knows when and you don't hook up?" She looks to Lydia "what's the deal?"  
"Scott's here" Derek says suddenly  
"Oh thank God" Stiles muttered. Allison was inclined to agree  
Scott came jogging into the room, sliding his backpack off in a fluid movement "Sorry it took so long"  
"Don't worry about it, you didn't miss anything" Lydia dismissed, Allison felt her hand come up to press against the small of her back   
"She's not kidding, they haven't even had sex yet" Erica mumbled  
Lydia gave a little growl  
"Can we hear whatever plan you guys have come up with now?" Isaac asked  
Stiles stepped forward, giving Allison a nod, Allison nodded back and smiled slightly  
"Okay..." Stiles began "So hunter families follow a general formula of inheritance right? Gerard is the head of the Argent's and the other hunters work under him, do you follow?"  
"It's not exactly rocket science Argent" Isaac replied "Get to the point"  
"The point is, if something were to happen to Gerard, Chris would become the leader of the family so-"  
"No" Scott cut him off, shaking his head "you can't be suggesting what I think you are..."  
"If Gerard and Chris die, we inherit the business" Allison replied  
"Technically I inherit it" Stiles said "I'm older"  
"Technically being the key word" Allison pointed out  
"Ten minutes makes all of the difference" Stiles pouted  
"Focus" Derek sighed  
"Right, anyway. If we were to kill them, it's not a grounds for war"  
"It's more of a mutiny" Allison shrugged  
"And you're okay with this?" Scott asked, focusing on Allison "you're talking about killing your father and grandfather!"  
"One of them tortured me, the other... Well, Chris isn't innocent either" Allison sighed, Stiles made a sound of agreement beside her, he was more familiar with Chris' methods than she was after all  
"What happened to not wanting to kill?"  
"Do you really see this having an amicable ending?" Allison asked "Scott... I don't want to kill either, you know I don't but we need to be realistic about this"  
"When it comes down to it Scott, they didn't hesitate to torture Allison, they hit Boyd and Erica with a _car._ They threatened your mom, Scott. The sheriff is involved now too, we need to do something about it"  
"But killing them?" Scott looked distraught "is that really the only way?"  
"It's not ideal" Stiles agreed "but it's the only way"  
"There has to be another way"  
"How many people have to die before you change your mind?" Allison asked  
"Nobody has to die!" Scott exclaimed  
"Sure Scott, we'll just go to the hunters and maybe if we ask _really_ nicely they'll pack up and leave us alone" Erica nodded slowly, she gasped dramatically "maybe they'll give us a cookie!" And Allison had to hand it to Erica, she certainly had a way of driving the point home  
"How would you do it?" Boyd asked  
"I'm going to be the one to kill them" Stiles said "Allison doesn't need that burden..." He trailed off to look at her, Allison appreciated the thought, Stiles doesn't want her to kill for the same reasons she doesn't want him to kill. It'll change them, they'll never come back entirely from this  
"That isn't to say I won't kill if necessary" Allison spoke up  
"Allison..."  
"What?" She looked at Stiles "I got your back"  
"So great, you two are planning on committing murder." Erica paused for a few moments too long "And how do you plan on committing murder?"  
"We're... Going to go home"  
"Okay, no" Boyd stepped forward and the fact that even he looked alarmed spoke volumes "that is a terrible idea"  
"I actually have to agree" Erica added, albeit reluctantly "Even for you two this is a outrageously terrible idea"  
"For once I actually agree" Lydia said, which wasn't really that surprising, it wasn't that good of a plan. It relied too heavily on Allison and Stiles being alone and appearing to accept defeat. It wouldn't be on their terms, on their turf and it was incredibly likely that the wolves wouldn't be able to provide backup for them  
And the idea of giving themselves up to Gerard isn't very appealing  
"We're open to other suggestions" Stiles spoke up after a few moments  
"For now" Allison added, when she received questioning looks from almost everybody in the room she sighed "we don't have much time, not with the sheriff and Mrs McCall, I don't want to think about what could happen if they start digging around the hunters"  
"So what you're basically saying is that you're open to alternative plans unless Mrs McCall is in danger?" Isaac asked  
"Pretty much" Stiles nodded "any other questions?"  
"Why do you two have to kill them?" Erica asked  
"Because, if you guys did it then they would hunt you down. If me and Stiles pull the trigger it's just..."  
"New management" Stiles finished  
"Exactly, it's the best bet we have"  
"But you'll consider other options, right?" Scott asked  
"Sure Scott, we'll look at other options" Stiles sighed. He looked to Allison again and she could tell he wasn't feeling optimistic about the idea either  
"So is that everything?" Erica asked "because some of us actually still go to school"  
"Allison?" Lydia turned to her, there was a question in her eyes and Allison knew what she was suggesting, what she was asking  
"Yeah, tell them"  
"Are you sure?"  
Allison nodded, pressing herself into Lydia's side and linking their fingers together. Lydia stared at her for a moment longer before leaning in to kiss her neck  
"Do you remember when Erica kissed Allison and bit her?" Lydia asked, her voice coming out a little forced as she remembers the event  
"How could I forget?" Erica smirked, winking at Allison. She didn't miss the way Lydia's grip tightened on her hand oh so slightly. She was surprised that the redhead didn't growl "And you got violent and manhandled me into a wall, why are you bringing that up?"  
"Because I claimed her" Lydia replied, hand dropping her own to wrap around her waist  
"Okay..." Isaac frowned "Now what the fuck does that mean?"  
"It means that Lydia's wolf wants Allison" Derek said  
"I'm her mate" Allison added. It felt odd to say out loud, that she was somebody's mate and she could see the confusion in Scott's eyes, Erica just looked amused. She couldn't make out Boyd or Isaac's expressions but they seemed to border on contemplative  
"So hurting Allison is the most likely way to guarantee raising hell?" Isaac asked  
"Hurting Allison is the most likely way to guarantee me killing you" Stiles replied  
"Agreed" Lydia added and even Derek made a sound of agreement  
"Well Argent, it looks like you have your own little group of bodyguards" Erica smirked  
"We all have to have one another's back, Erica" Allison shrugged "We aren't going to survive otherwise"  
"I don't want to ruin the moment, but if we don't leave soon we're going to be late" Boyd said, he looked over to Scott who nodded  
"Yeah, okay" Scott sighed "We better go."  
"Keep in touch" Derek said   
"You'll look for other ways to deal with the hunters?" Scott asked  
"Of course, Scotty. You know we will" Stiles smiled  
Allison didn't need to look at her brother to know he wasn't being completely honest

 

"So that explains Lydia's over protectiveness" Erica mused, tapping her pen against her desk "how do you think it works?"  
"How what works?" Boyd asked  
"Claiming, did Lydia get a choice in the matter or what?"  
"Lydia was in love with Allison before she was bitten" Scott finally said, looking up from his blank work "her wolf fell in love with Allison afterwards"  
"Welcome back to reality, McCall. Where have you been?" Erica leant across the desk to study him for a moment. Scott felt himself tense under the scrutiny and it only seemed to make Erica more interested "What's wrong?"  
"I was just thinking. It's no problem" Scott shrugged  
"Is it about this claim situation or the twins finally being ready to commit homicide?" Boyd asked  
Scott hesitated for a while, if he were honest both points were taking up a lot of space in his mind, the thought that Stiles and Allison were going to try and kill Gerard and Chris and he knows that they said they would look into other methods  
But the thing is, he doesn't believe them. Not really  
"What's wrong?" Erica asked  
"I don't think the twins will keep their promise"  
"You think they still want to go in guns blazing?" Isaac asked  
Scott nodded slowly "if you had the opportunity to take revenge on the people responsible for physically and psychologically abusing you for God only knows how many years not to mention kidnapping and torturing you... What would you do?"  
"Kill the bastard in the slowest way possible, make him suffer and then make sure nobody ever, _ever_ finds the body" Isaac growled and there was something in his voice, something so sharp and dangerous that it set Scott on edge. Isaac concerned him sometimes, Scott just didn't know how to approach him  
"Lydia won't let them, hell, even I would have to intervene if they tried anything" Erica shrugged   
"And you know it's serious when Erica cares" Boyd added  
Erica rolled her eyes but there was a fondness in her eyes directed at the boy  
"Okay, so you're worried that the twins are on the edge of a murderous rampage of revenge." Erica said eventually "what else?"  
"I was just trying to understand how the claim worked" Scott replied quietly  
"It's like you said, the wolf falls in love and decides they want that person as their mate" Boyd shrugged lazily  
"Yeah... But what if the wolf chooses somebody you don't love?" Scott asked "...What if the wolf doesn't fall for the person you have?" He couldn't help but add that last part, it was playing on his mind so much, he wasn't jealous of Lydia or Allison, he couldn't be jealous of Allison's happiness. God only knows she deserves it  
But he had had feelings for Stiles for so long, he had been a wolf longer than Lydia  
So why hadn't his wolf reacted?  
"I don't have the answers Scott, you're better off going to Deaton or Derek for that shit" Erica replied "This whole claim thing is a weird situation"  
"And of course it would happen to Lydia" Isaac muttered  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Erica asked  
Isaac shrugged, a sour look on his face. Isaac looked at each of them in turn before he shrugged flippantly  
"Come on, like none of you saw it coming? Not even with the whole pseudo alpha act?" He laughs, the sound seemed almost bitter to Scott's ears, a bitterness that Scott couldn't understand, Lydia wasn't some wannabe alpha, she was in the exact same boat as the rest of them. She was just better at handling it and coming up with ideas is all.  
And she had a way with convincing people to do things her way  
"What do you think they're doing now?" Boyd asked, a weak attempt to try and direct the conversation away  
"Probably making out" Erica laughed  
"Surely Allison and Lydia would be more focused in making plans to face the hunters instead of spending time making out?" Boyd frowned

 

Lydia held a finger under Allison's chin, angling the girls face perfectly as they kiss. Allison was a soft presence in her lap, arms looped around her neck and responding timidly  
Allison kisses exactly how Lydia expected her to, slowly and carefully, content with letting Lydia take the lead  
Lydia's other hand slides up Allison's thigh, skims her waist, sliding over to press against Allison's heart  
Allison breaks the kiss, shifting so that their foreheads were pressed together, Allison's breath coming out heavily against her lips  
"Are you okay?" Lydia asked  
"Definitely" Allison breathed, her fingers were rubbing gently at the back of her neck. It was incredibly distracting "I can't believe this is a thing we can do now"  
Lydia laughed, moving to brush their cheeks together and sighing as their scents melt together "it would be better if we weren't hiding out here"  
Allison pulled back then, knees tightening around her waist, Lydia's arms moving to wrap around her to keep her steady  
"It's not ideal" Allison admitted "and the circumstances are...."  
"Shitty?" Lydia supplied  
"Understatement" Allison replied, "but yeah. It's all so shitty"  
"We still need to look into other plans you know" Lydia said, outside she could hear Stiles training, he was hitting the tree again, only this time he had actually taken the proper precautions and wrapped his hands up  
"I know" Allison replied, sighing slightly "Scott seems so optimistic that we'll find another way"  
"He doesn't want either of you to kill" Lydia said, moving to cup Allison's face in her own "I don't want you to kill either"  
"I don't want anybody to kill, I don't _really_ want anybody to die but..."  
"You know it's an inevitable outcome" Lydia finished  
Allison smiled, eyes sparkling and hands slipping around to hold Lydia's cheeks, leaning in to kiss her carefully. Lydia's eyes fluttered shut as she parted her lips  
She knows that Allison can kiss like a hurricane when she wants to, but God, she loves the slow languid kisses  
"You know me so well" Allison whispered against her lips   
There's a crashing sound from upstairs that makes Allison startle and pull back, Lydia hears Derek curse and focuses her attention back on Allison  
"It was just Derek" she said "he's still trying to decide if the house is worth saving or not"  
Allison nodded, looking thoughtful and like there was something she wanted to say. Lydia could tell she was holding back so it was safe to say that it involved Derek and that Allison didn't want to talk about the alpha while he was so obviously in earshot  
Lydia listened as Stiles stopped whatever he was doing and ran back up to the house, he skidded into the living room, eyes blown out with concern  
"What was that?"  
"It's fine" Derek groaned, walking into the living room and wiping what looks like charred wood from his shoulder "But I'm starting to worry about the safety of this house"  
"What happened?" Allison asked, shifting to sit sideways in Lydia's lap, side pressed into Lydia's chest  
"Wall collapsed slightly" Derek said easily, like they weren't now sitting in a structurally unsafe house  
"Come on" Lydia tapped Allison's elbow, urging the girl up  
"The house is fine Lydia" Derek rolled his eyes  
"And I'm your average human girl" Lydia shot bag, linking their fingers together as she stands "the last thing we need now is to be crushed under a hell of a lot burnt rubble"  
"Yeah I'm with she wolf" Stiles agreed, unscrewing the cap from his bottle of water "I don't feel like being a pancake"  
"Yeah I'm flat enough already thank you" Allison glanced down at her chest  
All Lydia could hear was Stiles choking, could just make out him clutching his own chest as he doubled over, Lydia was too busy staring at Allison's chest to really pay the boy any mind  
"You're far from flat..." Lydia mumbled  
"I'm leaving" Stiles sighed  
"...Lydia?" Allison called gently  
Lydia tore her eyes away and focused back onto Allison's eyes "Sorry" she cleared her throat as she felt a blush rising to her cheeks "I stand by what I said though"  
"About me not being flat?" Allison asked playfully  
"Like I said, you're anything but" Lydia replied, eyes beginning to drift down again "and also very distracting now"  
"I'm distracting you?" Allison asked and okay, the satisfied smirk Allison is currently sporting is incredibly sexy but now definitely is not the time  
"You are" Lydia said, crowding into Allison's space "and if Derek weren't being creep and watching us and if your brother wasn't outside while we stand inside a structurally unsafe house-"  
"Point taken" Allison laughed, moving in to kiss her quickly   
"You're such a flirt" Lydia replied with a laugh of her own  
"I have my moments"   
"Come on" Lydia pulled on her hand, leading her to the door "we'll stay outside, I'll keep you warm"

 

Stiles assembled the gun, fingers trembling slightly around each part. He clicks the final piece into place and holds it up, aiming down the sight  
"How long?" He asked  
There's a pause as Allison checks her phone "forty five"  
"Fuck" he muttered under his breath as he began to disassemble the gun "it's still not fast enough"  
"Stiles... You don't have to-"  
"I want to" Stiles cut her off. He didn't need to look at her to see the frown on her face  
"You don't need to be able to do it in under thirty, this isn't a training drill" her hand closed over his own, effectively stopping him "you don't need to do this"  
"It keeps me distracted." Stiles replied. "We can't all pass the time with make out sessions." He added, grinning when Allison blushed and turned away to look to where Lydia and Derek are talking by his car  
"We need to talk about other ways to deal with them." Allison said, changing the subject swiftly. "Chris and Gerard I mean."  
Stiles watched Allison reach for the parts of the gun, fingers assembling the weapon quickly and with a precision that left Stiles envious  
"Do you have any ideas?" Stiles asked  
"No, you?"  
"No." She sighed, locking the magazine in and setting the gun down in front of them. "Do you think we can't think of an idea? Or... Do you think we don't want to?"  
Stiles picked at a loose thread on his jeans and gave Allison a knowing look. "You think we're subconsciously stopping ourselves from thinking of ways to stop this that won't end in death?"  
"That's exactly what I think." Allison replied, glancing at the ground when Lydia and Derek look over at them. "I'm tired Stiles." She sighed, head falling to his shoulder. "I just want this to be over, for us to be safe"  
"I know Alli" Stiles wrapped an arm around her shoulder "You know I'm gonna protect you right? This is almost over. We're almost free"  
"What do we tell Scott?" Allison asked  
"The truth" Lydia replied, walking over to sit on the other side of Allison. "Scott will have to accept that this is the plan we've chosen to follow"  
"You're okay with our plan?" Stiles asked, looking over Allison's head to the wolf  
"I'll be okay with it as soon as this plan is solid and has no room for error" Lydia shrugged. She glanced down and pressed a kiss to the top of Allison's head, Stiles felt Allison smile against his shoulder "I'm not risking either of you"  
"We'll figure it out" Stiles replied  
"After lunch?" Allison asked  
Stiles cast an expectant look at Derek "Sure, after lunch"  
Derek rolled his eyes, pulling out his keys from his pocket and got into his car

 

"If you're going to trash my car." Derek growls quietly. "I wouldn't do it in such a public place."   
Behind him, Chris laughs "who said we were going to destroy your car?"   
The woman behind the counter places his order down and Derek offers a court nod in her direction and grabs the bag and tray of drinks, finally turning to face the man  
"That's what you do isn't it? You already damaged mine once, then there was Lydia and let's not forget that little stunt yesterday."  
"It was a shock that your betas made it out of that." Chris admits  
"So, why are you here? Are you trying to distract me so you can attack? Because Lydia and the twins won't go down without a fight" it's a petty threat, but he knows he needs to keep up an act, the twins need to look like they're surrendering when they go back, they need to look broken  
"I just saw you come in and I wanted to say hi, we do have history after all" Chris moved to towards the counter "oh," he turned around and smiled "tell my children I look forward to seeing them soon"  
Derek tensed, his jaw locking "you'll never see them again"  
"Oh, I think we'll be seeing them sooner than you think"  
Derek walked away before he said something stupid.   
He made sure to check every inch of his car for bugs or god forbid, a bomb before he even thought about leaving

 

"Are you going to go to detention today?" Erica asked  
"Fuck that" Isaac replied "We're all probably going to die and I'm not wasting my time in detention, hell, we shouldn't even be wasting our time here"  
"What? You want to ditch?" Boyd frowned  
"We aren't really helping here, are we? So why not?"  
"He has a point" Erica agreed  
"My mom will know if I ditch, we don't need the extra attention..." Scott replied. The other the wolves shared a look and got to their feet "what are you doing?"  
"We're ditching, may as well see what we can do to help the twins right?" Erica shrugged  
"I'm sure they'll come up with an excuse for you" Boyd added "we shouldn't split up"  
"You coming, McCall?" Erica asked  
Scott hesitated for a moment before sighing and grabbing his bag "yes, yeah, I'm coming"  
His mom was going to kill him

 

"That was Scott" Stiles said, obviously for Allison's sake rather than the wolves "they're ditching and coming here"  
"Did you tell them about what happened to Derek?" Allison asked  
"Yeah, they didn't know what to say"  
"How could they?" Derek replied, "the hunters are planning something, aren't they?"  
"Seems like it" Allison nodded "which can't be good"  
"Admittedly, we know that whatever they're planning is going to be quiet. They can't risk drawing more attention to themselves"  
"You're not being very reassuring" Allison mumbled, she felt Lydia sit down behind her, arms looping around her waist, forehead pressing against the base of her neck. It was a small comfort but definitely enough to calm her  
"We just need to keep our ear to the ground, adapt as necessary" Stiles replied, eyeing their half eaten meals, nobody really had much of an appetite after Derek dropped the news "whatever they're planning we'll be a step ahead"  
Lydia pulled her head away and Allison let her head drop back against the wolfs shoulder  
"We'll be fine" Allison said   
"That's right" Stiles nodded rolling his eyes when Lydia presses her lips to the spot under her ear "I'm gonna go shoot some arrows... Leave Lydia to calm you down"  
Lydia laughed against her neck which, okay, new sensation and flashed a sheepish smile to Stiles  
"Yep, I'm going" Stiles shook his head and turned away, Derek followed immediately  
"I don't know about you Allison, but Stiles just gave us a free pass to make out before the others get here and I don't know about you but I think we should make the most out of this" Lydia punctuated her sentence by nipping at Allison's neck  
"Oh..." Allison pressed into the gesture "okay"  
She felt Lydia smile and trail more kisses down her neck, hands still wrapped around her stomach and holding her close. A satisfied growl rumbled through Lydia that Allison feels in the base of her spine  
"Are you going to give me a hickey?" Allison asked  
"Do you want me to?" Lydia asked, lips still firmly pressed against her neck   
"Yes"  
Lydia's lips moved down to Allison's shoulder, somewhere that Allison could hide under her shirt easily

 

Scott saw Stiles shooting arrows at a tree when they finally got there, Derek was under his car, doing God only knows what. He slides out as soon as soon as he picks up on their scents  
"So have we all become fugitives now?" Stiles asked when he finally noticed them  
"We skipped class for one day, Argent" Isaac rolled his eyes  
"Yeah, when we commit any major crimes we'll let you know" Erica added  
"I'll have you know we haven't actually committed any major crimes" Stiles said as he began to pull arrows from the tree and dropping them into a neat pile  
"Yet" Isaac finished  
"Where's Allison and Lydia?" Scott asked  
"In the house which is structurally dangerous unless you want to make out with your new girlfriend in which case it's totally alright." Derek replied   
"I heard that Hale!" Lydia yelled from the house  
"Was that sarcasm?" Stiles asked "Did you just use sarcasm?"  
Derek sighed heavily "I'm spending too much time with the twins"  
Lydia and Allison stepped out of the house a moment later, Scott noticed that Allison smelt even more like Lydia now, could see traces of Lydia's lipgloss smudged over her lips and neck  
“The house is okay for now, just don't go around tearing out the framework while we're inside” Lydia said, looking pointedly to Derek  
“You look like you've been busy” Erica's eyes scan over Allison  
"Should we all sit down? We should go over the plans again" Lydia suggested, ignoring the blonde and her laughter

 

Stiles had spent the last half an hour trying to convince Scott that there was no other way, that Chris and Gerard had to go. Everybody else just seemed bored and borderline frustrated with the boy.  
Allison had zoned out, she hadn't meant to, she just ended up thinking about what would happen when they did go back. Would they give Chris or Gerard a chance to speak or would they just fire on sight?  
Lydia was still beside her, she had scarcely moved away from Allison's side all day and Allison honestly couldn't complain. She was such a calming presence that it was easy to forget that they were hiding in the woods  
"I'm sorry Scott but it's the-" Stiles was cut off by a shrill ringing from his pocket  
Allison sat up straighter and frowned, "is that your-"  
"Old phone? Yeah" Stiles pulls it out and Allison sees the colour drain from his face "it's Chris."  
Allison scrambled to her feet, Lydia, Scott and all of the others following suit  
"What do I do?" He asked  
Allison pulls out her own phone scanning through it quickly and hitting record, she looks around the pack "Stay quiet, Stiles" she locks eyes with her brother "speaker phone. I'm right here"  
Stiles nodded and clicked answer "Hey Chris"  
"Stiles" Gerard's voice came through the speaker "it's been a while, I trust Allison is with you?"  
"Right here asshole"  
"Now now" Gerard tuts "where are your manners Allison?"  
Allison caught Stiles' gaze and bit her tongue, Lydia's hand came to rest against her elbow and she nodded, taking a deep breath "what do you want, Gerard?"  
"We just wanted to chat"  
"We?"  
"Chris is here too"  
Erica frowns "do you hear that?" She asked quietly  
Derek nodded "sounds like checkout tills"  
"We're listening Gerard" Stiles shifted his grip on the phone   
"Good. Listen carefully. We want you to come home now"  
"Over our dead bodies" Stiles snapped  
"No, of course not, that would draw too much suspicion but you know that of course" Gerard paused and Allison listened carefully, it does seem that they're in a grocery store, but why would they? Unless-  
"No..." Scott whined   
"As we speak, Chris is approaching Melissa McCall. In his right hand he has a syringe. Unless you comply, he'll inject her on my orders"  
"The autopsy would show whatever chemical you would use, they'll know it's murder and unless you plan on pinning it on me or Allison it's a bad move"  
" _Stiles_ " Scott hissed "what are you doing?"  
"It's empty" Gerard replied  
"What?" Boyd frowned  
"Air" Allison muttered, "inject with air and... Shit, she'll have a heart attack, it'll leave a needle mark but, but chances are they'll probably just overlook it..."  
"It's good to know you remember your training Allison" Gerard replied. Allison locked her jaw and felt all eyes drift to her "Your wolf is there isn't she? Ask her if I'm lying"  
Allison doesn't doubt that Gerard is telling the truth, but she looks to Lydia anyway and sighs when she gets a small nod  
"So Stiles, Allison. Do we have a deal?"  
Allison grabbed the phone from Stiles before anybody could respond "Deal. We'll be home in four hours"  
"Two."  
" _four._ Your asses are on the line too remember? We need to make this look convincing so this is what's going to happen. You're going to have your hunters cause a distraction so that me and Stiles can leave the town without the sheriff or anybody else seeing. In ten minutes, Scott is going to call Melissa and he's going to tell her that we called because we ran out of gas a few miles out of town. He'll get his bike and a jerry can and come out to meet us. We'll drive home and act the homesick twins and we'll finish the cover story later." Allison glances at Stiles "deal?"  
There was a long silence and Allison didn't dare look at the rest of the wolves, she doesn't want to look at Scott, not yet  
"Deal. You have four hours" The line went dead  
"Allison. What the fuck?" Derek snapped  
"They have my mom" Scott whispered  
"They don't, she's okay" Stiles turned to Scott  
"Allison just sold you both out!" Scott yelled  
"I didn't have a choice, Scott, your mom was in danger, I had to do something"  
"Allison... That was a risky play" Stiles replied after a moment  
"Think it'll work?" Allison asked  
Stiles ran a hand over his head, lips pursing and Allison watches his eyes darken as he thinks, as he runs over outcomes and variables, he's thinking over everything she said, trying to find the flaws in her plan, there are so many, she acted on impulse and grabbed at straws to buy them enough time. Her priority was getting the hunters away from Melissa.  
"We need to work on a few details, but yeah, it should work"  
"Allison" Lydia grabbed her arm and turned her towards her "think about what you're doing"  
"I'm protecting Melissa"  
"At the expense of you and Stiles" Lydia replied  
"Don't you see?" Stiles asked "Allison just set it up so we're going to be appearing on their doorstep on a silver platter- pun intended"  
"What do you mean?" Scott frowned, the boy looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown  
"We go there after Allison has been missing, I kill them, the sheriff shows up, Allison shows him the marks from her torture and I can play it off as revenge for what was done to her"  
"Are you going to show them the marks your dad gave you when you were a kid?" Scott asked  
Allison stepped back into Lydia's space "Scott... You don't know what you're taking about..."  
"Because neither of you told me!"   
"Scott" Stiles grabbed Scott's arm "you need to breathe"  
Scott almost recoiled from the touch "how can I? Your family are following my mom, they want to kill her"  
"Scott, Scott." Stiles tugged on his arm again "you need to call her okay? You need to tell her that I called you and you need to go help us okay? They'll back off of her once you've done that okay?"   
Allison could feel her chest getting tighter and she really couldn't deal with the way Scott was looking at her right now  
"Fine. I'll call her" Scott took a sharp breath "I need to get some air"  
Stiles watched Scott leave and turned back to Allison who seemed to have just gotten paler in the last two minutes and it doesn't take a genius to know Scott seriously just triggered her  
"Allison, what did he mean that you remembered your training well?" Erica asked  
"I read about it when I was a kid" Allison mumbled, Lydia was beginning to look at her with concern "it's not really something you forget"  
"What do you want us to do?" Derek asked  
Stiles glanced over at Allison again "you go out back, get some air, Lydia go with her"   
"Stiles-"  
"You look like you're about to pass out." Stiles turned to Lydia "take her"  
Lydia nodded, grabbing Allison's hand and leaning in to whisper in her ear and it takes a few moments to coax Allison out through the back way  
Stiles turned back to the other wolves "Erica, Isaac- Isaac give me my gun"  
Isaac lowered the gun he had been pointing at a scorch mark in the wall and held it out for Stiles. Stiles made sure that the safety was on before tucking it into the back of his pants "you guys tail Melissa, make sure the hunters keep away"  
"What do you need from us?" Derek asked, gesturing to himself and Boyd  
"I need you to hide Allison's bow in your car and to stake out the house, see what you can find out and also take Lydia with you" Stiles replied, if it came to it Boyd and Derek are probably the only ones who could restrain her  
"Stiles, are you sure about this? Are you sure that there isn't another way around it?" Erica asked, she glanced out to where Scott was pacing, Stiles hoped he was thinking about how to sell it, a lot of Allison's plan relied on Scott  
"Allison's already set it in motion, we just have to follow it through now"  
"So you don't agree with what Allison did?" Isaac asked  
Stiles frowned "she acted fast, she made it clear from the start that if Melissa or anybody else got dragged into this they would be put first"  
"Would you have done the same thing?" Boyd asked  
"Yeah, yeah I would have"

 

"Allison, you need to breathe, it's okay" Lydia rubbed at Allison's back, gently coaxing her through it  
"Scott's just upset" Allison muttered, her head in her hands "he's scared for his mom and he feels betrayed that me and Stiles didn't say anything when we were kids"  
Lydia didn't respond, it was easily assumed that the twins had been abused, but Allison had only told her the night before and Lydia is certain that Stiles hadn't mentioned anything to Scott, so Lydia was left wondering how he had connected the dots  
"Allison, this plan, are you sure about it?" Lydia asked, she was keeping one ear on Stiles and the others inside of the house, Stiles was taking charge and delegating tasks  
"I had to act fast, Melissa was in danger"  
"I know... I know"  
Allison shifted to get her arms around Lydia and tucked her head against Lydia's neck  
"You know you can't come with me and Stiles, right?" Allison whispered  
"I know" honestly she had assumed as much anyway, Stiles had pretty much just said the exact same thing, it is worrying how they're so in tune, they basically share a brain most of the time and as much as the prospect of leaving Allison makes her feel uneasy but she knows Allison can take care of herself and that Stiles will protect her  
"Is Scott okay?" Allison asked  
"Don't worry about him" Lydia replied "just focus on me okay?"  
Allison nodded against her neck, arms wrapping around Lydia "thank you"  
"Come here" Lydia muttered, Allison lifted her head and stared at her with wide eyes, Lydia leant in until their noses were brushing, just taking a moment to listen as Allison takes a shaky breath, lips parting in anticipation and Lydia just classes the small distance to press their lips together. Allison melts into it, arms pulling Lydia closer and Lydia just runs her tongue over Allison's lips  
She wasn't ready for Allison to go back, she isn't ready for this and she knows that none of them really are, that this feels like some kind of point of no return, that once the twins leave they're entering a whole new game  
Allison broke the kiss with a gasp, making no real attempt to move away  
"We need to go back in" Allison said "We need to go over the plan"  
"Okay" Lydia replied, kissing her again "okay"

 

Scott had spent five minutes just pacing, he needed to be compose himself before he tried to help the twins with this plan, his mom would know he was lying immediately.  
He walked away from the house, he didn't need the extra attention on him right now  
Scott dropped down against the tree, eyes on the door as he pulls out his phone breathing steadily as he scrolls through his contacts until he finds his moms number and hit dial  
"You're not at school" she says as soon as she answers  
"...No" Scott replied, the school must have already called her  
"Are you going to tell me why? Or am I going to get a fairy tale of a lie?" His mom asked  
Scott closed his eyes and took a long breath, he could do this "Stiles called me"  
"...What?"  
"I- I don't know the details, he only called me a little while ago... He went to go and get Allison, I guess she called him or he knew where she went, I don't know..."  
"He called you?" She didn't believe him, Scott really couldn't blame her for that "what did he say?"  
"They ran out of gas, he asked me to take a jerry can out to them"  
"Where are they Scott?" He heard her grab her keys  
"Mom no, Stiles called _me._ There has to be a reason for that. They trust me and if they get spooked they might not come back, please, you have to trust me." He held his breath, trying to force himself to calm down as the silence between them both stretched on  
"Scott, I'm going to ask you a question, do you remember how Allison broke her arm?"  
"No..." He replied immediately “Stiles said it happened while they were playing”  
"I thought so" she sighed "fine, go. Go bring them home, call me when you get to them"  
"I will, I love you mom"  
"I love you too Scott"  
Scott hung up first, staring at the screen for a moment longer  
To hell with subtlety, he needed to know how Allison broke that arm. He _needed_ to hear Allison confirm it

 

Allison's hand was gripping her own hard enough to break, Lydia squeezed back gently as they walked back into the living room where everybody is gathered, Stiles looked over to them, eyes flickering over to Allison immediately  
"Better?" He asked  
"Barely" Allison replied "So what's the plan?"  
"Derek has a jerry can, he's also gonna spot the money for Scott to fill it up, it'll look more convincing if there are witnesses to place Scott actually getting gas."  
"I'll follow closely" Derek added "make sure to keep Scott safe"  
"We can make up our cover story during the drive, figure out where you've been and..." Stiles trailed off as Scott walked in, Lydia frowned at the boys pained expression "hey Scott, did she go for it?"  
Scott nodded "She wants me to call her when I meet you guys"  
"Okay" Stiles grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on "It's time to go Allison"  
Allison's grip tightened even more "okay... Just let me..."  
"Yeah, okay" Stiles nodded "Derek, wanna get that can?"  
"On it"  
Lydia reached up to cup Allison's cheek "you ready for this?" She asked  
"No"   
Lydia leant in to kiss her, other hand moving to Allison's hip, Allison got her arms around Lydia and pulled her closer, her heart beginning to race  
"Better?"  
"A little" Allison smiled  
"Good" Lydia kissed her once more "my phone will be on the entire time, okay? Just call"  
"Alli," Stiles said "we better go" Lydia looked to the boy as Derek walked back in, red can in hand  
"No" Scott stepped forward  
Stiles frowned "we really need to go Scott"  
"Not until I get answers" Scott almost growled  
"Answers for what?" Lydia asked, hand moving to rest against Allison's stomach   
Scott ignored her and kept his gaze on Allison "Broken ankle, five shattered ribs, every finger broken, multiple times..." Lydia could hear Allison's heart begin to race, Stiles' too   
"Scott, now is not the time..." Stiles muttered  
"It'll never be the time!" Scott yelled "broken clavicle and a broken arm so severe that the bone pierced the skin. Do I have to go on?" He asked "your x-ray reads like a phone book and that's just the one I got from Deaton."  
" _Scott_ " Stiles tried again, gaze looking past him to Allison, Lydia could feel her body tense under the eyes of all of the wolves   
"No Stiles" Scott shook his head "we've been walking on eggshells around both of you for days, I don't know if Lydia's managed to get through to you, Allison. But I've known you guys forever so why, _why_ can't you you talk to me, why don't you trust me enough to tell me?" He glances between Stiles and Allison "I thought I was your best friend"  
Allison made a pained whine, Stiles flinched, eyes dropping to the ground "you are Scott..." Allison said quietly  
"Then how did you break your arm?!"   
"It was me!" Stiles screamed "Are you happy now? It was fucking me! I did it, I broke her arm"  
“W-what?” Scott stuttered  
“Yeah.” Stiles nodded “I snapped her arm like a fucking twig and you know what? When it happened, for a sick moment I actually fucking enjoyed it”  
Lydia felt the silence hit them like a car crash

 

 


End file.
